The C Case
by EpsiLone
Summary: Agent Elizabeth Webber has just lost the lead to a major case but decides to keep investigating after she meets the intriguing Jason Morgan, himself on a personal vendetta. Will the pair manage to take down the infamous Sonny Corinthos. Liason AU
1. Part 1 - C for Common Interests

_Now that I have more free time, I have been itching to start a new story, something fun, something short and a little different too and here is the result. I hope you'll enjoy reading, let me know if you think I should go on with this!_

**"The C Case"**

**Part 1**

**C for Common Interests**

Elizabeth was running late to the office that day, a day when she wasn't even supposed to be there in the first place. She had spent a good chunk of her night watching black and white movies on television with a large bowl of caramel popcorn resting on her lap. That was one of her favorite pastime activities especially now that she was out of a job until new orders; but the lack of sleep could now be felt and she cursed herself for going to bed that late.

Her boss had called her early this morning asking her to hurry to the office without much explanation but she guessed it was about the C case she had been working on for months now. It was almost mechanically that she had jumped out of bed, rubbing her eyes, and made her way to the shower to let the cold water take care of the waking up for her.

She slipped into her sober grey dress shirt and black suit, slid her short-heeled black boots on and grabbed her aviator style shades. She was out the door just twenty minutes after she got the call. In her profession, responsiveness and effectiveness was key to survival and she was well trained for it.

Elizabeth hadn't had the time to hold her long chocolate tresses in the usual neat bun, but she managed to tie her hair in a decent ponytail that she rolled around itself on her way to her car.

She arrived at the office and rushed inside eager to learn about the inroads that were made on the _infamous_ case that she had been working on for now six months and hadn't been able to get her mind off since she was placed on forced leave.

Elizabeth walked right inside her boss' office and closed the door behind her.

"Mac? So what's up?" She directly asked, no time for greetings.

Her boss let out a sigh of annoyance. "Good thing I said come as soon as possible!"

"Thirty minutes! Damn it! You can't do better than that with Port Charles traffic."

"Sit down." Her boss sternly ordered her as he held both hands over his desk and watched Elizabeth do as she was told.

"So what's this all about? I am confused; a week ago you literally threw me out of here and told me not to come back until new orders."

"Yes I know, and you're not off the hook with what you pulled with Lansing yet. He is threatening to sue us! The last thing we need is bad publicity or the DA against us."

"He deserved every bit of that beat down." She declared under her breath.

"Elizabeth!"

"What? He is scum! And if I had to, I'd do it all over again! The guy called me a bitch, you really think I would have let that slide?" She argued remembering how a benign questioning had taken a turn for the worst when Elizabeth had asked the District Attorney about his relationship with his brother, but it was the allusion to a possible conflict of interest that had prompted the man to call her names; which she hadn't appreciated and had demonstrated her painfully learned skills by kneeling him in the crotch area and pinning his face down on his desk with her gun to his head.

"You are going to have to issue a public apology to Lansing and I'll make sure you do it. You're lucky he didn't have you jailed for that behavior, you know damn well he could." She opened her mouth in an attempt to protest but was stopped by Mac's words. "But we'll talk about this later. I called you in because I need you to debrief Spencer. He's taking over the case."

"He is what?" Elizabeth asked, in complete shock. "That's a good one." Then added amused by what could only be a joke.

"Listen to me Webber! Your mistake is costing us a lot and you are not back on this case, Spencer will pick up where you left off." Mac then opened a file that was resting on his desk.

"Oh that's just great! He can't even find his own brain let alone carry a high profile case like this one." She complained. "You cannot be serious right now."

Mac answered without looking up to the brunette. "Don't forget Spencer got rid of Manny Ruiz last year, he is more than capable of tackling Corinthos."

"Manny Ruiz was pure luck! He just happened to be at General Hospital at the right time. Sonny Corinthos is a whole other ballgame and you know that."

"If I didn't know you better I would think you're just bitter he got the bust and not you." Elizabeth was about to retort but was once more shut down by her boss.

"It was already decided, Spencer is replacing you on this." Mac reaffirmed.

"But Mac, I know the case, I know these guys!" Elizabeth told him in a pleading tone. "I've been studying Sonny Corinthos for months; I am the best person to make sure this sees through!"

"Yes you are one of our best assets, I'm not denying that but as of today Spencer is officially on the case, end of discussion."

Elizabeth had been on the case for months and had never been able to find anything substantial that would take Sonny Corinthos down for more than a slap on the wrist. She needed hard evidence, testimonies that would lock him and his associates for life. "So you're just going to let him swoop in and take credit for my investigation?"

"It's not about that and you know it. There are rules Webber and you are no exception to it! You are suspended until we are done with your review. And Lansing has made it clear he wants you fired; so you should be happy you are just on leave. Take a vacation, get some rest, find a hobby, just do whatever you need to do to stay away from anything related to this case."

Elizabeth let out dejected sigh. "Why did you take me out of my beauty sleep then? To gloat about how I won't be able to finish what I started?" She said slouching back in her chair, arms crossed above her chest.

"Like I told you, I need you to go through the case in details with Spencer, make sure he knows everything there is to know."

"This has to be a joke. So what Lucky can't read anymore? I wrote tons of reports on the C case. Yes, months of investigation that I took time and effort to collect so if he gets the case he better well study it." With these words Elizabeth stood up and left the office, but not without sending one last ominous look towards a smug Lucky on her way out.

* * *

Elizabeth hurried home; furious that what was supposed to be a short leave to appease Richard Lansing's and her boss' mind had now cost her the case of her career. Sonny Corinthos to her represented hours of investigation, countless sleepless nights and hours of unpaid overtime, all her work wrapped up and offered to Spencer with a nice shiny bow around it.

The brunette entered her apartment and straight up grabbed a pillow from her couch that she violently threw across the room, knocking a wall painting in the process. She picked up another but a loud knock on her door interrupted her rage fit. She threw the pillow back on the couch and walked towards the door screaming. "Who's there?"

By the time she heard the unfamiliar voice spelling the name "Jason Morgan." She was getting a look at the handsome young man through the eye of her door.

"What do you want?" Elizabeth yelled out suspiciously.

"I need to talk to Elizabeth Webber, it's important!"

"What do you want from me?" She asked, an eyebrow raised high.

"I'd rather not talk about it in this hall, but I promise you, you want to hear what I have to say."

The woman hesitated two seconds, mouth pouting to the side before finally deciding to let the stranger in; her natural curiosity getting the best of her. She opened the door to a tall, dark blond who was standing in front of her door both hands buried in his jean pockets and shoulders covered of a shiny leather jacket.

Elizabeth gestured for the man to come in. He did, and she promptly closed the door behind him. "Ok, I'm listening."

"Umm… My name is Jason Morgan and I might be your key to locking Corinthos up for good." The young man dropped on her.

_Corinthos? Again?_ Elizabeth thought; was the mob boss determined to ruin her day? Elizabeth observed her guest, wondering what could be the link between this man and the one she so desperately wanted to see behind bars. Elizabeth studied the blond in front of her and very fast came to the conclusion that he had to be working for Corinthos.

She crossed her arms, standing right in front of the tall dark blond. "Ok, I like the sound of that but you're going to have to give me more details. What kind of information do you have on Corinthos?"

"I have been working for him these past four months. I started out as a driver, but they call me for all kinds of jobs now. Anyway, I have ears and eyes on the inside and I am ready to do whatever it takes to see Corinthos behind bars."

His statement caused a grin to appear on the young woman's lips; they spoke the same language. "Ok, but first what I need to understand is what do you have to win in ratting Sonny out? You work for him and it could very easily come back to bite you in the ass..."

"And I'm ready to take the risk." He interrupted her. "…because I want to see Corinthos finally pay for his crimes."

"Well, you seem passionate about this, doesn't simply sound like public service you are trying to render... what did Corinthos ever do to you?" Elizabeth asked walking towards her small kitchen.

Jason's eyes followed the petite woman to the kitchen, he had first imagined she would be taller, more intimidating than the sweet little brunette that had opened her door to him. "You're right, it's personal... Corinthos killed my brother and he shouldn't go unpunished for it."

Elizabeth paused once in front of her fridge, surprised by the man's bold declaration. There wasn't an ounce of doubt in his voice. "Do you have any kind of proof to back up these accusations?" She asked, pouring a glass of water for her guest and herself.

"If you are talking about the kind that you can build a trial on, no. But I know he did it and I want him in prison for the rest of his life. That would be a sweet punishment for him, having to face all his enemies behind bars. He wouldn't survive a week."

"Well you probably have this right." The brunette commented handing a filled up glass to the blond who grabbed it, nodding to thank her for her hospitality. "But listen Jason, if you want me to take you seriously you've got to tell me more."

"Ok, I was there when he gave out the order to get my brother killed. I followed A.J. that day, that's my brother, I wanted to stop him from going to Sonny but I was too late, so I hid and heard their whole exchange. Then I stuck around when my brother left, just enough to hear Corinthos order his men to get rid of him. I never saw my brother again after that day."

Elizabeth settled on her cream sofa listening attentively to the man's story. He followed her and then sat on an armchair standing next to her sofa, ready to pursue his tale. "My brother wasn't a saint, but he sure didn't deserve to die. His only mistake was falling for the wrong woman. When Mrs. Corinthos separated from her husband, she found A.J., and they lived together briefly. Then she got pregnant but A.J. wasn't ready to become a father so he freaked out and turned to the bottle. So Carly ran back to her husband, passing the baby as his. A few months later, A.J. got his act together and went to see Carly, claiming her baby was his and that he wanted to be a part of its life. But she didn't want to hear any of it so against my advice A.J. went to Sonny directly, hoping he would throw his wife out once he learned she was carrying another man's child. But instead he had my brother killed."

"Wow... ok. And there never was a body?"

"No, like you can imagine the man is pretty good at making people disappear. And I know you're going to ask me how I know he didn't run away, but I just know it. A.J. realized he wanted to be a father, he cleaned up his act for it and he goes and talk to Corinthos and never comes back."

"Ok Jason, I am not sure what you want from me here because it's the first time I'm hearing about this case, and it doesn't seem like there is any trace of this crime. It would literally be your word against his and Corinthos has pretty powerful attorneys on his side."

"I know that… unfortunately. I know he'll probably go unpunished for my brother's murder and many others and that's why I'm here. I want to help you build a case against him."

"I understand that, but why did you come to me? If you did your research you would know that I am officially off the case." She informed him, her fingers digging deep in a pillow that she grabbed off her sofa.

"I heard, but I also know that no one knows this case better than you do."

"And I've tried everything to make my boss understand that... anyway, unfortunately as of now I can't investigate this case, I'm on forced leave. But what I can do is refer you to my boss to who you can talk to."

"Agent Webber, I came to you because I heard there is no one who wants to get this criminal off our street more than you do, and the one who is the most inclined to make it happen."

"And you heard right, I've been working on the C case for a long time, but right now my hands are tied, if you had come to me a week ago maybe we could have helped each other… I'm sorry I can't really do much for you." She told the young man standing up from her couch, nibbling on her lower lip disgusted that she was being offered great information on Corinthos and couldn't act on it.

"Well I guess coming to you was a mistake, but I had to try…"

Elizabeth shook her head, unable to let such an opportunity slip through her fingers and walk out her door. She may have been off the case but nothing kept her from listening.

"Oh the hell with it! Wait, Jason… wait! Maybe there is something I can do, I'm not just going to standby and let them ruin this investigation. What do you know about Corinthos that we can use right now?"

"I know about a shipment that is supposed to come in tonight. Pier 52, 12am. I overheard some guys talking and if we get close enough we might be able to get a good look at what Corinthos has been dealing."

It maybe was the ground breaking opportunity she had been waiting for, the possible Corinthos bust that would at least give way for a warrant to search his properties and maybe even a trial. She couldn't sit on this info, her boss would understand, Elizabeth thought, he had to.

"Alright. Let's meet by the docks tonight at 11:00pm and we'll see what we can get from it."

The man stood up taking the direction of the door. "Hey Jason, I really hope this will get somewhere. In any case we'll get Corinthos, it's just a matter of time, I know it."


	2. Part 2 - C for Close Call

_I am so delighted you enjoyed the first chapter of this story, thanks for the great reviews! With that kind of positive feedback, of course I will keep going with it! Now on to Part 2, I hope you'll like the way this story unfolds!_

**Part 2**

**C for Close Call**

Elizabeth had made sure to verify Jason's story by asking her friend and colleague over at IT to run a thorough background check on the mysterious young man and to get access to the PCPD missing person file on his brother. It had only cost her, after a tough negotiation, an evening of playing the Saga of Stone Cold videogame with the computer genius as well as an unlimited supply of orange soda and potato chips for the young man to risk his job to do some digging for the agent despite her suspension.

Damien Spinelli entered her small apartment, his laptop under his arm. "Sorry my Queen, I couldn't make it earlier."

"It's ok Spinelli, but what did I tell you about calling me the Queen or whatever you like calling me?"

"Would you prefer being referred to as Athena? Daughter of Zeus, goddess of wisdom, peace, warfare, strategy, heroism…"

"Spinelli! Focus please!" Elizabeth slapped her fingers. "And let's stick with Elizabeth or at least Liz… you know, the name my parents gave me."

"Sure, sure… E-li-za-beth." Spinelli spelled out then dropped on the sofa.

The investigator shook her head then asked. "Ok, what you got?" So eager to find out about the man who had mysteriously showed up at her door a few hours prior that day offering Corinthos's head on a silver platter. Things were just too good to be true she feared.

Spinelli opened his laptop and began reading. "Alright, the subject is Jason Morgan, twenty nine years old single young male with a penchant for high speed and motorcycles."

"That's very interesting Spinelli but this doesn't help me much." Elizabeth began anxiously pacing across her living room, fists resting on her hips.

"You said you wanted to know who you were dealing with." The young computer genius defended himself. "Anyway, I couldn't find much on him actually, his record is surprisingly very clean except for a few speeding tickets. But what caught the Jackal's attention was his change of name… years ago. The subject was actually born Jason Quartermaine."

"Quartermaine? As in ELQ? You could have started with that!" Elizabeth's radar went up. "Wait so his murdered brother was a Quartermaine?" Elizabeth deducted, her interest in the young man growing by the second.

"Patience… The ruler of cyberspace is getting to it." Spinelli implored before continuing. "His brother, A.J. Quartermaine disappeared in the summer of 2008, and was never seen again. There was a missing person investigation but it didn't go very far and was dropped after a few months… from what I could gather people just assumed he ran away to the sunset with a bottle of gin under his arm."

"Everyone but his brother who is convinced Corinthos offed him." Elizabeth adlibbed. "But this is consistent with his story. Thanks Spinelli, I knew I could count on you... and like promised." Elizabeth said running to the kitchen where she picked up a bottle of orange soda and a pack of chips. "Here!" She said, handing the snacks to her friend.

"The Jackal is extremely thankful… but if he may ask, what is it exactly that you have planned with this Morgan subject? With your current suspension it wouldn't be wise to get involved in your old case."

"Spinelli, I appreciate your concern but all I'm doing is following a lead, as simple as that. It may or may not take me anywhere. So please, trust me on this ok?" She checked her watch and noticed it read 10:45pm. "Alright, I have to go, did you bring what I asked?"

The young man lifted a black backpack that he handed over to her. "Everything is in this versatile rucksack. And I promise not to speak a word of this."

"You're the best!" Elizabeth told her valuable ally. "I'm out, make sure to lock when you leave would you?"

"The Jackal will make sure to it."

"Thanks!" The woman said grabbing her suit jacket on her way out.

She walked down to her car and drove to pick up her informant. She still wasn't totally sure she could trust him but Jason was offering his help and it was up to her to qualify him as a legitimate source of intel.

After a short drive she approached the tall man who was waiting as convened by the docks. "You're here?" She asked from her car's rolled down window, as if surprised he showed up.

"Of course, I gave you my word." Jason answered, popping his head up the window.

"You could have changed your mind about working with me since then."

"I didn't, I told you I want to help your case against Sonny Corinthos and I meant it." The man said then tried to open Elizabeth's car door to hop on the passenger seat, it remained locked. The caught off guard young man looked up at the woman, his hand still caught in the handle.

"Why didn't you tell me you were a Quartermaine?" The brunette straight away shot at him, demanding answers before she let him enter her car and her investigation.

"Because… I didn't think it was relevant plus it doesn't change anything. I have very little contact with the Quartermaines anymore."

"I don't know you and have no idea why you're not a Quartermaine anymore but given your brother was part of this family his disappearance could have another meaning, your family is very powerful and scandal prone so someone else could have wanted him to disappear."

"I know it was Corinthos. Like I told you I was there." Jason reaffirmed. "If you don't believe me then what are doing here?"

"I believed you Jason, I usually have very good instincts and right now they tell me that you could be my only key to ever bringing down Corinthos." Elizabeth said looking at the man straight in the eyes. "But I also know that it is very rare to be getting this type of unsolicited help so I want to make sure I can trust you." Her deep sapphire orbs locked on his crystal blue gaze as she asked him. "Can I trust you?"

Jason didn't even blink as he stared back into her eyes and said. "You can trust me."

Elizabeth quietly nodded then unlocked her car doors, satisfied by the fact that Jason seemed to have understood he had to be completely honest with her if he wanted her help. She watched him claim the passenger seat and buckle his seatbelt then started the engine as the investigator in her went on with her questioning. "So why the change of name?"

"It's a long story but basically I had a falling out with my family years ago and decided I wanted to make it on my own, away from their expectations and the constant scheming. The only one I stayed close to was my brother and when he died… I pretty much completely cut ties."

"I see." Elizabeth granted him then went on. "And how does a Quartermaine heir turned Morgan ends up working for Sonny Corinthos, I hear he's pretty selective in who he works with. We've never been able to successfully get anyone undercover."

"It wasn't easy, but I was lucky. I used to work in a garage where he got all his vehicles fixed. I would see him from time to time and one day he was in need of more drivers so he offered me to come on board. I started with small jobs, driving his accountant around, picking stuff up then dropping them off. But these past few weeks I feel they've started trusting me a little more, letting me in on details like the location of tonight's shipment. Two of his lieutenants were talking about it when I was in the room."

Elizabeth's eyes were fixated on the road as she drove them to Pier 52. "So you've planned this all along? Getting on Corinthos' good grace just to destroy him from the inside, pretty impressive."

The man reacted with a slight grin as he looked at the window where he could discern the dark harbor, with only the moon illuminating the few boats floating on the horizon. "I swore to myself that I would make this man pay for what he did to A.J., no matter how long it takes me."

"I want to help you Jason for what he did to your brother and because Port Charles deserves better than being taken advantage of by Sonny Corinthos " Elizabeth told her very intriguing passenger.

Five short minutes later the pair arrived close to the location of the shipment and found the best place where to park and get a close enough view of the Pier and nearby warehouse without attracting any attention. Elizabeth turned all the car's lights off and grabbed the backpack Spinelli had graciously prepared for her.

She took the camera out, observed by Jason who was following her every move attentively. She prepared the lens and took a couple of test shots out of the window. "Alright, now we wait."

And they did wait, quietly for the most part as Elizabeth noticed Jason wasn't much of a talker. He seemed extremely focused, exactly how he had first appeared to her when he entered her apartment earlier in the day; a man with one goal and one goal only. "Are you sure it was Pier 52." She said to break the heavy silence that had taken over the car.

"Yes, that's the one they mentioned."

"Ok." Elizabeth simply said then focused back on the warehouse.

"So how long have you been a federal investigator?" Jason asked Elizabeth after a few quiet minutes, taking the brunette by surprise, as she wasn't expecting him to try making conversation.

"Well, almost five years now. My father would hate that I chose this career, he always wanted me to be a doctor but that just wasn't for me." Elizabeth explained, her eyes never leaving the deserted warehouse. "How about you, what would you be doing if you weren't seeking revenge? You mentioned you worked at a garage."

"Probably open my own, for high-end motorcycles. That's what I plan on doing when everything's over, at least if I make it alive."

Elizabeth's eyes left the warehouse to fall on the man who was sitting next to her. "You're taking a lot of risks going after Corinthos, I hope you're prepared to face whatever comes at you, as you know first hand he's ready to fight dirty."

"I am. I am not scared of him." The man sternly said leaving no doubt in the agent's mind as of how determined he was to see Corinthos behind bar.

"Good." The brunette said with a faint smile.

"I also meant to ask, how come you were fired?" Jason asked after another quiet pause.

"I wasn't exactly fired…" Elizabeth rectified. "Just suspended to appease Richard Lansing."

"The District Attorney? What did he have to do with it?"

"Let's just say he didn't like my questioning style…" Elizabeth said, avoiding going into too many details with a man she still barely knew. A moving shadow suddenly caught her attention. "Hey look, I see something."

The two investigators lowered in their seats while observing a man come in and then quickly out of the warehouse. Elizabeth made sure to catch him with her camera, but his empty hands bothered her. "I don't see a boat or a truck, there's just one man, what the heck is going on?"

"I don't know, it was supposed to go down here."

"Maybe it was just a red herring." She noticed the man who was dressed in all black jump in an SUV and start the car, which passed right next to Elizabeth's own vehicle. Jason and her ducked quickly enough not to be seen and once the other car was far enough away, Elizabeth impulsively decided to start her engine and follow the suspicious car.

"Where are we going?" Jason asked her worryingly.

"Following a lead."

"What if the shipment gets here later?"

"If anything was happening here tonight it would have happened already, the location you heard was probably just to throw people like you and me off. And that's also probably why they talked about it in front of you, then if the PCPD and the feds happened to storm down the place tonight you would be a dead man."

"Sorry, I didn't think about that."

"Don't be because if we're lucky, this guy will take us right to the place where the shipment is really arriving." Elizabeth picked up the camera from her lap and handed it to the man by her side. "Here, take pictures of everything, starting by that car's license plate."

Jason zoomed in on the license plate and captured the number. He was impressed by how rapidly and effectively the brunette next to him had analyzed the situation and followed through on the possible lead. Her confidence and expertise only reinforced his decision to go to her with his secret mission. She was the only person he had told about his intentions and it had felt liberating to finally mention what he had been working on to someone, especially a person who shared his goal.

"Try to get a shot of the driver too, if he ever happens to look sideways." Elizabeth instructed her pensive passenger. But the man didn't get a chance as very fast the SUV turned in a dark alley between two warehouses.

The woman parked the car close by, trying to get a view of what was happening closer to the loading docks.

"I can't see anything." Jason said zooming through the lens.

"Damn it, we're way too far, but there is no way I can get any closer without being seen. It's too risky." Elizabeth sadly realized hitting her steering wheel in frustration.

"So what do we do now?" Jason asked but was interrupted by his cell phone going off. "It's work." He let the agent know, wondering if he should take the call and worried they may have been seen.

"Answer it, and act as if you're at home." Elizabeth advised him to do.

He nodded then picked up the phone. "Morgan."

_"Jason we need you down at Pier 54 right away, Francis is sick and we need an extra hand."_

"Alright, I'll be right there." He answered then hung up.

"What did they want?"

"They need me to come in to help out with the shipment." He said placing the phone back in his pocket.

"That's perfect, you go to work as you normally would have and try to pick up on anything and anybody of interest. I'll go home and take a good look at the pictures we took tonight and see if anything can be used. We'll check back in tomorrow morning on what we can do next." Elizabeth said then slowly drove away from the scene.

* * *

Agent Webber sat on her couch where she had stayed up almost all night reviewing her notes on the C case, she already knew every detail on any stakeouts, searches and other police operations ever conducted on Sonny Corinthos but Jason's appearance had re-motivated her to see this case through, suspended or not.

"Five years ago Carly Corinthos was pregnant from Michael Corinthos Junior." She mumbled to herself as she grabbed a surveillance photo of the little boy wondering how Mrs. Corinthos had managed to pass the red headed boy as Sonny's all these years.

She shook her head. "This doesn't tell me anything." Elizabeth let out in frustration. Unfortunately none of the pictures they had taken during their stakeout the night before were usable and Elizabeth hoped Jason on his side would have managed to find out something, anything that could give them a head start on taking down Corinthos' illegal activities.

She threw the picture she was holding on the coffee table and dropped her back against the sofa.

A loud knock startled the brunette. "Who is it?"

"It's Jason." She heard in a quiet voice then walked up to the door that she quickly opened.

"Morning." The young man said making his way inside her apartment.

"Come in and sorry for the mess I was up late studying my notes on Corinthos." Elizabeth said, as she thought about how much of a mess she herself must have looked like. She ran a hand through her messy hair for damage control but not much could be done to tame her wild tresses.

"Did you come up with anything?" Jason asked, staring at the scattered files on her couch and coffee table.

"Nothing new." Elizabeth grumbled then walked to the kitchen followed by Jason. "This is the longest and most frustrating case I have ever had to work on in my career. Every time we get close to the bastard he finds a way to get the chargers dismissed somehow."

"He's a very resourceful man."

"Coffee?" She offered but Jason declined. She poured herself a much needed cup before talking again. "How was work last night when they called you in? Anything happened?"

"Well they were already done loading most of the shipment in when I arrived so I couldn't really see much. I just helped them watch the street and make sure the coast was clear."

"I see. At least they still trust you which is great for us, plus they didn't see us snooping around." Elizabeth said then took a sip of the warm coffee.

"No they didn't but that was a close call."

"Jason… I hope you know what you're in for. Going after these guys is my job and taking these kinds of risks is part of it, you on the other hand, don't have to put yourself in this situation."

"Technically it is not your job anymore to go after Corinthos so we're on the same boat." He reminded her.

Elizabeth threw an infuriated look at him before replying. "Thanks for reminding me I am officially off this case."

"Sorry, it wasn't my intention to reopen the wound." The young man apologized with a teasing smile. "But please don't try to scare me off this because it won't work I will do everything in my power to make sure Corinthos pays for what he did."

"I know you will because you came to me asking for my help and you weren't even slightly worried I would arrest you for being involved in organized crime."

"Did you even for a second think about arresting me?"

Elizabeth shook her head to deny. "No, because we're on the same side."

"Good Morning my Queen!" They both suddenly heard coming from the living room.

"Spinelli!" Elizabeth let out in a scolding tone.

"I mean Elizabeth." The young man quickly corrected himself. "And the grasshopper is sorry he intruded but the gate was left opened."

"It's ok. Jason this is Damien Spinelli a colleague and the only one who knows I'm going to keep investigating Corinthos with your help. He can help us."

"Very nice to make your acquaintance." The young computer genius said with a bow.

"Nice to meet you Spinelli". Jason said in return.

"How are things going at the office?" Elizabeth inquired, hoping she would get the news that Spencer had been fired for gross misconduct and that she would very soon be reinstated.

"Nothing of major importance apart from the little fact that Agent Spencer has decided to start keeping a close look on all the docks since word of a Corinthos shipment landing last night reached his ears."

"Why would he do that? This will just alarm Corinthos and make him be more careful. He's not going to make a mistake if he knows we are watching him so closely. That's why I was always against this kind of operation…. Spencer is incompetent and always will be. Oh I hate him!" She exclaimed, the strong coffee she had been drinking finally getting to her brain.

"Why do you hate Agent Spencer so much?" Jason asked curious, as he had never seen Elizabeth this agitated since he had met her.

"Because he is ruining months of work after taking over for only two days!" The brunette exclaimed.

"And because agent double zero and my queen have dated ages ago." Spinelli added his grain of salt then quickly covered his mouth once he realized he had most likely said too much.

"Spinelli! We're not here to discuss my personal life! And it was very brief and I realized there was no way we would ever become anything serious so I dumped him." She added. "Now that the subject is closed can we get back to why we are here in the first place?"

"Absolutely Qu… Elizabeth." Spinelli said head down.

"Ok, Spinelli I asked you to come over because now that we're anyway working off books we don't need to request any warrants or permissions so I want you to try and infiltrate Corinthos' surveillance system so that we can pick up on any clues or anything that we can use against him."

"Can you do that?" Jason asked skeptical. "I mean, his systems are state of the art, Mr. Corinthos doesn't seem to kid around when it comes to security."

"The Jackal a.k.a. grasshopper of cyberspace can get access to anything that is connected and Mr. C's cameras are definitely not outside the assassin of the Internet's reach." Spinelli proudly informed him.

Jason sent a perplexed look at Elizabeth who silently let him know it was absolutely normal not to understand what Spinelli was saying.

"Great Spinelli then get to it!" Elizabeth turned to Jason. "You go back to work and act as normal as you can be, if someone suspects you're working with me just for a second you know what's going to happen to you and that would be a shame because we really have a shot at stopping Corinthos here."

"I know, I wont screw this up." Jason said, aware his life was on the line.

"Take mental notes and report back anything that could be remotely interesting to us, even details that you think may not matter, got it?" The small but dictatorial Elizabeth ordered.

"Is she always that bossy?" Jason asked Spinelli, whose fingers were already fiercely hitting his keyboard.

"The Jackal confirms that thought and advises to do as told so as not to unleash my Queen's wrath." The young computer genius expressed without ever looking away from his screen.

Agent Webber rolled her eyes and was about to justify herself but Jason beat her to the punch.

"Well in that case, I must get back to work. I will keep you updated Queen Elizabeth." Jason sarcastically added before rushing out the door as he heard Elizabeth contesting behind his back.

"Don't call me that!"


	3. Part 3 - C for Child's Play

_Thanks for reading and reviewing, it really helps to hear what you all think, so don't hesitate to leave me some feedback and share your thoughts on the story!_

**Part 3**

**C for Child's Play**

"Are you in yet?" Elizabeth asked Spinelli for the fifth time since he had begun his hacking process into the Corinthos's surveillance systems. "You said it would be child's play!"

"Almost there, it is harder than the Jackal had imagined but I will conquer, just give me a few more minutes." He begged of her.

Elizabeth grabbed the bag of chips off the desk and began munching on some; patience was not her forte. She watched Spinelli write more cryptic code and scroll down through countless incomprehensible pages on his screen.

Suddenly a loud knock at her door jolted the brunette and her sidekick.

"Expecting someone else?" Spinelli asked never breaking his attention away from his computer.

"No, not at all. Alright, wrap up everything and take it to my bedroom, whoever this is cannot know what we've been up to." She said quietly then yelled. "Who's at the door?"

"Elizabeth! It's me, Lucky. Open up!"

"Urgh great… what does he want." She wondered, annoyance in her tone and watched Spinelli take all evidence of their investigation to the other room.

Elizabeth reluctantly made her way to the door and opened it ajar, not yet granting her unwanted visitor full access to her home. "What do you want Spencer?"

"Come on, let me in, I just want to talk!" Her colleague pleaded.

Elizabeth hesitated a few seconds but finally decided to let him in. "You have ten minutes, I'm listening."

Lucky walked in her apartment, looking around like any investigator had taken the habit of doing when entering a room. "Your place hasn't changed at all since last time I was here."

"No it hasn't. You said you wanted to talk? Then talk." Elizabeth tried to get him back on track.

"Yes, Elizabeth listen; I'm worried about you since the Lansing thing and seeing how you acted yesterday morning with Mac, I mean if you need to talk to someone maybe I can help you-"

"I can't believe you! How arrogant of you to show up in my home to tell me how I should deal with this situation. Who the hell do you think you are? And all this after stealing my case! You've got some nerve!"

"First of all, I didn't steal your case, you lost it all by yourself so don't blame me for that, I'm just doing my job and want Corinthos arrested as much as you do."

"Whatever Lucky, if that's why you came to see me you can go now, because the last thing I need is your help." Elizabeth rolled her eyes and crossed her arms above her chest.

"Alright then, that's fine if you don't need my help, but I need yours." He admitted. "I would really appreciate if you could take a few minutes to at least debrief me on the main players."

Elizabeth shook her head, exasperated that he had had the audacity to come rub this whole case in her face. "Really Spencer?"

"Look, I know you hate that I've taken over the C case, you've made that very clear but Mac is not giving it back to you anytime soon so any minute you waste whining about losing the case and not helping me get up to speed on it is taking us further from ever getting Corinthos." Agent Spencer argued. "Work with me on this Elizabeth, please."

Elizabeth, whose mouth was pouting to the side, let out a sigh as she decided that Lucky had a point. Her desire to stop Corinthos was definitely larger than her pride or dislike for Spencer. "Fine." She said then dropped on her nearby sofa.

"Fine? You'll help me?" Lucky asked, almost in shock. The agent had not expected her to budge that easily. He imitated her and took a seat.

"I will tell you what you need to know."

"I'm listening." Lucky said and took out a small notepad and a pen, ready to take detailed notes.

"Ok, Corinthos has two enforcers who can be considered the number two and three of the organization; Cody Paul and Johnny Z. These men are extremely dangerous and are suspected to have made disappear quite a few people along the years; they do all of Corinthos' dirty work.

"Ok." Lucky said while writing on his notepad.

"Another key member of the organization is Trevor Lansing. We can't prove that he works with Corinthos but we are ninety nine percent sure he acts as legal counsel and provides guidance to Corinthos. He also has an accountant Bernie Abrahams who has to be a magician because he can turn any dirty money into legitimate coffee revenue. Finally Corinthos relies on a bunch of lieutenants, the names of all the known ones are in the file but these guys are in charge of running the day to day business all throughout Corinthos' territory."

"See, that wasn't so hard." Spencer said, clapping closed his notebook and putting it back in the interior pocket of his jacket.

"I think the word you are looking for is thank you."

Lucky smirked and got up. "By the way you look great in jeans, so much nicer than that grey suit of yours." He said comparing her current relaxed and colorful style to her usual uptight work attire.

As a response, Elizabeth's lips formed a mocking fake smile; she then walked up to open the door. She had had her dose of Spencer for the day. But before he left she couldn't help asking. "Any leads on the case so far? I heard you were upping security on Corinthos… which I might add is a very bad idea."

Lucky dismissed her opinioned comment. "Thanks for your input but I can't discuss this with you, Mac has given strict orders not to share any detail of the ongoing investigation with you, he doesn't want you to get any ideas with all this free time."

_If they only knew what she was up_ _to_. Elizabeth thought then happily watched Spencer walk out of her apartment then slammed the door shut behind him.

"Spinelli!" Elizabeth called him back. "How are we doing?"

"The Jackal has almost cracked the egg!" Spinelli reappeared in the living room. "How did it go with agent double zero?"

"Don't ask… I just can't wait to get my case back."

* * *

Jason had gone to work, acting as if his main goal in life was to serve Sonny Corinthos to the best of his ability in order to progress in his criminal organization. He had played the part for so many weeks now that he could fool anyone into believing he liked his job and admired Sonny. Unknown to everyone was his true feelings for the mafia boss and his secret mission to avenge his brother's unnecessary death. Sonny would pay for what he did, and with agent Webber's help, it would only be a matter of time; he was convinced of it.

"Hey! What you doing, daydreaming? This garage isn't going to empty itself!" Tony, one of Corinthos' closest lieutenants berated Jason.

"Sorry." The young man said and picked up the next box in front of him then loaded it up in the pickup truck. It wasn't often than Jason was called in to get some work done at Sonny's estate but today he was asked to clear up a cluttered part of the five car garage so that one more car could be parked inside.

"Keep your sorry! Just make sure you stay alert, Sonny hates people who can't focus, they're a liability for the business."

Jason nodded then wiped his sweaty forehead before going back in the garage to pick up another box. "Where's all this stuff going?" He then asked, breaking one of the fundamental rules of the organization; never ask.

But to his surprise the lieutenant answered him. "We're moving them to one of our warehouses, at least until the next shipment comes in and we need the space."

Feeling lucky, Jason continued. "When is that coming in?"

The older man looked at him sideways. "Why do you ask?"

"No I just, it's just to know if I'm going to be working on it tonight or not… cause I've made plans." Jason hesitantly said.

"Nothing tonight." The lieutenant said then watched Jason finish loading the truck. Before the young recruit was done he was issued a warning. "For your own sake Morgan, don't ask too many questions if you don't want to become the next Zander Smith."

"Who?" Jason asked confused.

"Never mind… but like I said, just stick to what is asked of you ok! I'll drive this off to the warehouse, check in with Max if he needs you for anything."

Jason nodded then walked away, body dripping with sweat from the heat and all the lifting he had been doing. The built man took off his shirt to refresh his body and sat on a bench in the garden for a well-deserved break. A soccer ball suddenly came crashing against his leg, followed closely by a little boy who came running after it.

The boy stopped and stood a few feet away from Jason, eyes staring at his soccer ball.

Jason froze for a second, as he eyed the fair skinned five year old. So much in him reminded him of A.J., especially his eyes Jason thought at he remembered his brother's gaze; a faint smile took over his face but it was quickly replaced by a saddened frown. Jason let out a sigh, realizing what a different life this child could have had if Carly and Sonny hadn't stolen him from his brother.

"It's mine." The little redhead said, pointing at the object. Getting Jason out of his temporary state of hold.

"Are you playing by yourself?" Jason asked him, picking up the ball.

"I always play by myself." Michael said looking down at his feet shyly.

"I'm Jason, can I play with you?" Jason asked him, eager to share a moment with his nephew.

The little boy shrugged. "Sure."

Jason bounced the ball on the floor and hit it with his foot in Michael's direction. The little boy managed to control the ball and hit it back at Jason with a happy giggle. It felt nice to play with someone the boy thought, when he was very rarely allowed out of these gates or even to go on play dates with other children, and his dad, well never had time to play with him.

"Come on run!" Jason told Michael as he hit the soccer ball a little further, causing the boy to scream in excitement as he missed it and was forced to go fetch it behind a tree.

"Sonny hires them hotter and hotter every time." Jason suddenly heard coming from behind him.

"Excuse me?" He turned around to face no other than Carly Corinthos.

She approached and stood right next to him, as they both watched little Michael dribble the ball back to where they were standing.

"Michael baby, go play inside would you?" She told her son once he got back.

"But I want to stay playing with Jasin." He whined, picking up his ball from the floor and hugging it tight against his small chest.

"You can come back outside later, it's time for your snack anyway. Come on, go on." She insisted then watched Michael unhappily drag his feet inside the mansion.

Carly placed her attention back on Jason, her eyes rived on his defined and shiny muscles while she popped her hand ahead for his to shake. "I'm Carly. Carly Corinthos."

"I know." Jason said, well aware of who she was and the tragic history she shared with his brother.

"But I don't know who _you_ are." She continued.

"Jason Morgan."

"Nice to meet you Jason." The blond woman said then grabbed a pack of cigarette from her back pocket. She offered him one.

"I don't smoke." He told her, then went on to grab his t-shirt and pushed it over his head.

The woman pulled a cigarette out of the pack and lit it up. "That's some body you have there you know, it's a shame you hide it under this black tee. Carly took a few steps closer to Jason. "How come I've never seen you around?"

"I only started working for Sonny a few months ago." Jason informed her.

"I see." She said then took in a draw of smoke. "It's refreshing to see a new face, a pretty face I might add."

Jason crossed his arms, wondering where Carly was going with her inferences and blatant flirting. He was using a large amount of self-control not to tell her what he really felt about her but getting into an argument with his boss' wife was a sure and quick way to get fired.

"So you like kids I see Jason." She added, her free hand running through her blond hair.

"Michael seems like a good kid." He briefly said, looking forward to getting away from Carly and her cigarette smoke.

"He is, isn't he? This boy is the most important thing to me and his father." She said then took another puff of smoke in. Jason remained quiet so she went on. "You don't talk much do you? That's fine, talking is overrated anyway, there are so many other good things in-"

"I should go, I have more work to do." Jason cut her off then turned around and walked away eager to get away from the woman he considered largely responsible for A.J.'s death.

"See you around." Carly said to herself then finished her cigarette and headed back inside the house.

* * *

It had taken Spinelli a few more minutes only to successfully infiltrate the Corinthos surveillance circuit giving them a clear look inside the man's home. Elizabeth was ecstatic, for the first time she would be able to see right through Corinthos' activities, an investigator's dream come true. She knew she was breaking legal boundaries but being officially off the case gave her the right to come up with her own rules the young woman had decided. The only way she was going to find something big on the mob boss was by playing dirty.

Elizabeth asked the young man to set up a surveillance post in a small studio she still owned next to the Elm Street Pier, no one would disturb them there or walk in on their investigation, and she also realized it was safer for Jason not to be seen waltzing through her apartment so often at the risk of blowing up his cover in the Corinthos' organization.

The brunette was about to join Spinelli at the studio when she heard her front door banging, again.

"Who's that now?" She said annoyed people wouldn't just let her conduct her investigation in peace.

"It's Patrick!" The young surgeon said from the other side of the door.

"Shit!" Elizabeth said under her breath. She had completely forgotten they had agreed to meet for coffee that afternoon. She hurried up and opened the door.

"You're alive and well… I was getting worried." Patrick exclaimed walking in her apartment. "You never showed up and I called you, but no answer."

"Oh Patrick, I'm so sorry I lost track of time and wasn't checking my phone." She let out a sigh. "It just completely slipped my mind that we were meeting today."

"That makes me feel great that you just forgot about me…" The brown haired man grumbled then dropped on her sofa. "For once that I had a free afternoon!" He went on complaining.

"I know and I feel really bad about that, but I have a good excuse!" Elizabeth said standing next to him.

"Let me guess, the C case?" He guessed accurately. "But I thought you were off this case until new orders?"

Elizabeth scratched the back of her head. "Well I was…"

"Don't tell me you're back on it already?"

"Not exactly." Elizabeth first said then added with a not so innocent expression. "I mean yes, I kind of am."

"And me who thought that you being on leave meant that I would be able to spend some time with you once in a while. Since you've been assigned this case I have barely seen you, do you realize that?" Patrick let her know.

"I know and I'm sorry about that and for not meeting you today but you have to understand; something… or I should say someone showed up and opened up a door of opportunities for this case to finally get solved." The excitement could be felt in her tone.

"So if I hear you correctly you're not officially back on the case but you're going to continue poking around at Corinthos." The astute doctor deducted. "Do you realize how dangerous that sounds?"

"I do of course, but you know me, I'm being careful and well there will be no resting until Corinthos is behind bars." She declared.

"Sad part is I know you won't give up, you're like a dog with a bone." Patrick who knew his friend well realized. "As always if you need me for anything, or just want to talk you know where to find me."

"Thanks Patrick and sorry again for standing you up like that." The agent apologized for the nth time.

"Well I have to say it wasn't such a bad thing in the end because Robin happened to be getting a cup of coffee too and we walked back to the hospital together."

"Dr. Scorpio, how nice… so I guess you should thank me for not showing up actually."

"Ok, let's not get ahead of ourselves here."

Elizabeth chuckled. "So how are things developing between you two?"

"Well we are working on this patient together but can't seem to see eye to eye on anything, but when you take work out of the equation, she's actually quite an interesting woman."

"That's great to hear Patrick, I always thought you two could make a good match, Dr. Scorpio can definitely tame you down."

"Like I need to be tamed." Patrick retorted.

"Oh yes you do! And half of the female population of Port Charles would agree with me." Elizabeth reaffirmed.

The two friends laughed it out. Patrick was one of these friends Elizabeth could always count on to put a smile on her face. What had started as a flirtatious relationship years ago, had flourished into a true friendship between two people who knew and respected each other deeply. Unfortunately their respective careers meant little time to hangout together.

Dr. Drake jumped to his feet. "I have to get back to the hospital."

"And I should get back to work too."

"Elizabeth, whatever you do, just be careful and know when to back down."

"Don't worry about me, I know what I'm doing."

"Alright, well I guess I will see you when I see you, which might be next year…" Patrick commented on his way out of her apartment, leaving his best friend to shake her head in disagreement behind him.

* * *

_I hope you enjoyed! Next chapter is coming soon and will be titled "C for Crash Course"._


	4. Part 4 - C for Crash Course

_I always wanted to write a story where Elizabeth was the one in charge with Jason following her lead so I am having a ton of fun writing for a strong and confident Elizabeth and I hope you are having as much fun as I am reading about it!_

**Part 4**

**C for Crash Course**

As soon as he was done with his day at the Corinthos organization, Jason received a message from Elizabeth asking him to meet her at a studio on Elm Street. He wasn't sure about why she wanted to meet there but was eager to find out if her and her computer genius had already managed to get a feed of Corinthos' surveillance cameras.

He knocked and she quickly let him in the small room that looked more like a storage space than anything else.

Elizabeth, who picked up on the young man's inquisitive look, answered him before he could even ask. "I asked Spinelli to set up our surveillance equipment here. It's safer and no one can disturb us."

"Ok." Jason simply said then looked around the place further noticing a dusty couch a small table and a bunch of computer screens probably brought by Spinelli, just what they needed to set up their new investigation HQ. "How come you have this place?"

"I used to live here, ages ago and I kept it when I moved out. First it was because I couldn't sell it then I ended up keeping it in case I ever needed storage space and well today it comes in handy." Elizabeth explained then sat behind the surveillance screens. "So how was work? Anything happened today?"

Jason's mind flashed back to the little Michael and Carly Corinthos' ambush. "Umm… nothing really happened, but I saw little Michael today, that was nice."

"That must have been hard for you, I mean you are his uncle but he will probably never know that."

"I know." Jason said pensively then sat on the edge of the old couch. "It's just sad when I think about the kind of life he is forced to live, surrounded by guards and guns all the time when he could have been raised by A.J.. I know being a Quartermaine would have been far from perfect but it's a step up from being a mob boss' son." Jason, who was getting sensitive to the subject decided to change it. "Sonny's wife Carly was also there, and I think I hate this woman just as much as I hate him."

"I can't blame you, she put everything in motion when she denied A.J. his son." Elizabeth commented.

"Other than that, they asked me to clear the garage then I drove the accountant around a bit but couldn't pick up on anything that seemed important."

"Ok, well just keep your ears and eyes opened, something will pop up when you least expect it." Elizabeth said then grabbed a handful of files that she handed to Jason. "I want you to take a look at these and tell me if you know anything I don't about Corinthos' right hand men. These are there criminal files, anything we're missing, let me know."

Jason grabbed the case files on Johnny Z and Cody Paul and began reviewing pages after pages of research, surveillance reports and photographs but was unfortunately unable to give Elizabeth more information that she already knew.

"Sorry I can't be of more help." Jason said, putting the file on the table, the exercise was frustrating.

"It's ok." Elizabeth said rubbing her eyes from starting too much at the screen without seeing any kind of movement whatsoever. "I need a break."

"The Jackal brings offerings!" Spinelli suddenly barged in the small studio with pizza and orange soda.

"Spinelli, your timing is impeccable, I was starving." Elizabeth rejoiced, jumping to her feet.

"Well thank you." The young man uttered while dropping the food in the middle of the room then took his comfortable place behind the small surveillance post he had installed earlier.

Elizabeth grabbed a slice of pizza and looked at Jason realizing there was very little she knew about this Quartermaine turned Morgan with a virulent personal vendetta against Sonny Corinthos. "So Jason, is your whole life about stopping Corinthos?"

"Isn't yours all about that too?" He wittily asked back, going for a slice too then continued. "I know it is your job to put Corinthos behind bars but you're so passionate about this case that it seems like there is more to it."

Elizabeth finished chewing on her bite of pizza, her mind drifting to the past. "I lost my father because of the mob." She dropped like a bomb and continued eating without explanation leaving the entire room stunned.

But before anyone could ask about it, Elizabeth announced she was going to a nearby bar for a drink and while Jason accepted to tag along, Spinelli decided to stay put and keep an eye on the video surveillance while playing his videogame on another screen.

* * *

Jason and Elizabeth walked in a close by bar called Jake's. They looked around the empty place where only one dingy candle lit table in the back was occupied. Jason was surprised by the woman's choice of venue and would have expected something a little fancier from her, but he didn't mind. He was more comfortable in these types of places anyway.

Elizabeth, who felt right at home, led them to the commanding pool table in the middle of the bar. "Let's play." She told him. "The loser pays."

Jason nodded as the proposition sounded fair, plus the young man was pretty confident about his skills. He let her break, and then watched her expertly send four balls down the pockets. He may have underestimated agent Webber's skills.

"Your turn, while I go to the bar." The alluring brunette disappeared towards the bar while Jason surprised himself following her of the eyes. Only when he realized he had been staring at her swaying backside in the tight pair of jeans she was wearing, he shook his head, got back to his senses then lined up his shot. He missed miserably, unable to concentrate as his eyes drifted back to the petite woman who was leaning forward on the bar as she talked to the bartender.

After a few minutes, she was back with two beers in hand. "Is it my turn?" She asked after giving one bottle to Jason and placing the other on the edge of the pool table.

"All yours." Jason told her, rubbing his nose hoping she hadn't noticed him ogling. "Thanks for the beer."

Elizabeth leaned very low on the table, ready to take her shot then lifted her eyes towards him. "Don't thank me yet, you probably will end up paying for it." She said before skillfully sending another ball into a pocket.

A teased Jason shook his head, amazed by the tiny woman's gorgeous body and bubbling confidence.

Elizabeth pushed her cascading brown locks away from her face as she studied from which angle she should attack her next move then told him. "You see the bartender I was talking to? His name is Coleman and he is one of my CIs, he keeps me informed if he sees or hears anything happening in the Port Charles mob."

"You never take a break do you?" Jason asked fascinated by the woman's dedication to the C case. "What did he have to tell you?"

"Not much, all he said was that things seemed to be quiet, he's been paying the share of revenue he gives away to Corinthos weekly as usual and hasn't heard about any major threats from rivals." She told him quietly then landed another successful shot as Jason opened his wallet and made sure he had enough cash on hand.

After she finally missed, Jason placed himself in position to hit a ball that was nested against the border of the table.

"You'll never get it if you line up the shot that way." Elizabeth offered her help and Jason listened. "Go a little bit towards your left and place the cue at a lower angle."

Jason tried to follow what she was telling him but didn't exactly get it. "Wait I'll show you." She said then came to stand close behind him, her breath warm against his nape and chest almost caressing his back. Elizabeth lowered Jason's arms, forcing him to bend down slightly as she talked slowly to his ear. "Like this you'll hit exactly where you need to." She said her nose pleasantly tickled by his natural smell. The woman then took a step back, allowing an enthralled Jason to start breathing again. Without breaking the position Elizabeth had molded for him, he took the shot, successfully.

"See, I told you." Elizabeth said proud of her teaching skills then went for a gulp of the refreshing beer.

"Where did you learn how to play like that?" Jason asked, impressed.

"My father thought me when I was a kid. We had a table at home when I was growing up." She revealed with a pensive smile, for the second time in the same day letting Jason in on something very personal about herself. She barely knew this man and yet talking to him felt easy.

"That's some ass you have there shorty!" Elizabeth heard the uncalled-for compliment coming from behind her.

"I beg you pardon?" She said turning to face the scruffy, not quite sober looking man that had interrupted her.

He approached. "I said your ass is amazing but wow… I have to say you're quite a hot cookie too I wouldn't mind getting a piece of that."

"Please don't refer to my ass, or to me as a cookie and go back to play with your friends in the sandbox." The feisty Elizabeth threw at his face then turned to refocus on her game of pool.

"Oh… and we have a bitchy one too. I like it."

"She told you to back off!" Jason intervened, annoyed by the man's persistence.

"I don't take orders from little girls or punks like you, so I leave when I decide to leave!" The man said in a threatening demeanor, coming to stand, nose on Jason's face. This one couldn't resist the urge of pushing him away from him, which sent the other man in a furry launching himself at Jason who twisted his arm and forcefully stamped his face on the pool table then kept his head pressed under his hand.

"I told you to back off." Jason concluded.

Elizabeth approached the stranger's face to make sure he got the message loud and clear. "Don't ever, talk to a lady like this again, do you understand me?"

The scared young man, painfully managed to nod under Jason's palm before the dark blond let go of him and watched him leave the bar, licking his wounds.

Elizabeth couldn't suppress a chuckle that Jason imitated; they seemed to make a good team. "I have missed having a partner, I have been working alone for too long."

Jason agreed, it felt great not to be alone in this journey anymore; revenge could get very lonely.

* * *

The investigating duo came back from Jake's and entered the studio in laughs with Elizabeth teasing Jason about beating him at their game of pool. They startled Spinelli who lost his concentration on his videogame and failed at his level. "What a painful death." He commented seeing his gaming hero lose his life violently.

"Thanks for sticking around Spinelli." Elizabeth told the young man. "Anything interesting to note?"

"Nothing to report in the big brother house Queen E." The young man informed her, stretching his sore arms.

"Alright, I'll take it from here then." Elizabeth said.

"I can stay and help, I mean two pairs of eyes might be better than one." Jason offered and Elizabeth agreed with a smirk, as she wouldn't mind the company.

Spinelli nodded then stood up, but not without noticing how friendly Elizabeth and Jason seemed to have become. He packed his things in his backpack and asked to have a word with his Queen outside. A surprised Elizabeth followed him in the hall and asked him what was wrong.

"Nothing is wrong, it's just… the Jackal would like to know if he is being replaced as your person of trust by the newly arrived Stone Cold." The intelligence specialist asked, taking the brunette aback.

"What? Spinelli of course not, you know how vital you are to this operation, any of this would not be possible without you." Elizabeth tried to reassure him.

"The Jackal is just worried his services will become obsolete now that the valiant spy is on your side." He said, pulling on his backpack strings to tighten it against his back.

"Are you kidding? You are capable of incredible things with a computer and best of all you're my friend Spinelli and that's not going to change."

The Jackal smiled, Elizabeth was a good friend to him; a friend he worshiped and who understood and appreciated his quirkiness, and he really hoped Jason's arrival in the picture wouldn't change that. "Sure, sorry I asked, it's just at the end of the day there is very little we know about our Stone Cold hero."

"Spinelli, I've decided to trust Jason and you should too, so we can finally put Mr. C. behind bars and we definitely won't manage to do that without your help." Elizabeth reaffirmed making sure Spinelli understood how important he was to her and to their secret operation. "Thanks again for all you did today."

Spinelli nodded his head then left his colleague to head home and retackle his failed videogame mission.

"Is everything ok?" Jason asked once Elizabeth was back inside the studio.

"Yes, it's fine." She reassured him then grabbed a cold slice of pizza off the box, thinking about Spinelli's question. Was she unconsciously developing too much of a liking for Jason? She did enjoy working with him and hoped that Spinelli would warm up to him along the way because she would need both of them to bring down Corinthos.

"By the way Elizabeth I'm sorry by how I reacted at the bar, I never should have jumped in like that, you probably would have been just fine handling this guy all on your own."

"It's fine, don't worry about it. I'm glad you had my back. But we should probably not do anything to attract too much attention." She let him know. "Now let's see if anything interesting happens tonight."

They stayed up chatting and staring at the screen for a few hours without noticing anything suspicious, until a man, who didn't seem familiar to Jason appeared on one of the screens. It was very late, Jason thought as he wondered what a stranger would be doing around Corinthos's home at that time. "Did you see this guy?" Jason asked but didn't get any answer. He turned to Elizabeth and saw that the beauty next to him had fallen asleep.

A faint smile formed on his face as he noticed how sweet and gentle she seemed when she was asleep, nothing to do with the tough attitude she carried on her shoulders all day long. Jason decided not to wake her; he would take note of it and talk about it in the morning. He found an old blanket in a drawer and covered her up. He watched her sleep for a little longer then focused his attention back on the computer screens. He eventually drifted into slumber too.

* * *

_Thanks for the reviews, favs, follows! I'm really excited that you are enjoying this :). What did you think about this chapter?_


	5. Part 5 - C for Clue

_And here goes Part 5! Happy reading!_

**Part 5**

**C for Clue**

"I fell asleep!" Elizabeth jolted up from the sofa with a gasp.

Jason, who had woken up a good hour prior that morning, had had time to go out to get coffee and come back. "Yes you did." He handed her a cup. "You take it black right?"

"Thank you!" Elizabeth grabbed the paper cup, her dream of having someone hand her a warm cup of coffee as she woke up had finally become reality. She smelled the delicious aroma, took a sip and then asked. "How long was I out? And most importantly why didn't you wake me up?"

"To answer your questions you've been sleeping almost all night and I didn't wake you up because you seemed way too comfortable for me to do that." The young man told her then sat next to her.

Elizabeth smiled then stretched her back before saying. "Well, did I miss anything?"

"Maybe." Jason filled her in. "I saw a man entering Corinthos' home at around midnight. I couldn't really see his face but he didn't seem familiar at all."

Elizabeth rewound the surveillance footage to the time Jason had indicated her and took a look at the man who on top of acting very suspiciously was wearing dark sunglasses in the middle of the night. "Who is this guy and what's he doing visiting Corinthos so late in his home." Elizabeth asked out loud with an arched up brow. "I'll have Spinelli use facial recognition software and see if we can come up with anything. I am going to the office anyway."

"You are? Why?" Jason asked surprised.

"Enough is enough, I need to be reinstated! It's ridiculous that my boss has me sitting here when I could be working on bringing down Corinthos… legally." She explained, frustration in her tone.

"Before you go, let me tell you that something's up with this guy, I am pretty good with faces and have never seen him around plus it really doesn't make sense that he is actively trying to hide his identity, anyone from the organization would not worry about being seen by the security cameras." Jason pointed out.

"Okay, and where are you going with that?"

"Well, I'm afraid he might be one of yours." He finally said.

"Wait, you mean someone from the FBI?" Elizabeth asked, unconvinced.

Jason nodded. "Or the police, I don't know but I've been suspecting this for some time now and it's partially why I came to you and you alone. Don't you think that would make sense? That he has someone on the inside warning him whenever something is about to go down and keeping him up to date on the ongoing investigation against him?"

"It definitely is a possibility but I just cannot imagine anybody at the bureau being on Corinthos' payroll, it just would be crazy." She shook her head but couldn't discard what was a valid point. "But sure, I'll keep it in mind."

* * *

Elizabeth rushed home to take a shower and change her clothes then quickly headed to the Port Charles FBI field office to meet with her boss. She didn't have an appointment, he wasn't even expecting her there but she would manage to see him because she always got her way.

"Mac, you have a minute?" The young woman said after barging right inside her boss' office.

"Webber, what are you doing here?" Mac said, unpleased by her unanticipated presence.

"You've punished me long enough now, you've got to let me back in on the case. I cannot believe that you would compromise such an important investigation just to teach me a lesson!" Elizabeth expressed then placed both hands on his desk. "You know what, I got the lesson, I am sorry I embarrassed you and the bureau and it will not happen again. The C case is way too important to me to just stand on the sidelines, you know I can't do that."

"Yes you can, and you will. That's an order." The older man made clear.

"Mac!" She protested.

"No Webber, that's a definite no. And for the record, your behavior is not the only reason you're off the case. You've developed too much of a fascination for this particular case and I don't think you can be objective anymore. We needed some fresh eyes on this and that's why when Spencer said he could pull it off-"

"Wait, he actually asked you for the lead on my investigation?" She jumped in.

"Webber, why does it matter?" Mac said hoping she would just leave him to do his work in peace.

"Just tell me, did Lucky ask you to take the lead on this investigation yes or no?" The investigator insisted.

"He said he could take over while you were on leave then I told him the case was his. Now if you would excuse me, I have some scheduled meetings to attend so go home and don't come back until new orders." Mac said then pointed towards the door. "And I mean it!"

Elizabeth let out a defeated sigh and turned around then walked out of the office avoiding any colleague. There was too much rage inside her to stomach any kind of small talk at the moment. She left the building, still fuming and couldn't believe he wouldn't change his mind about bringing her back on board.

The agent needed a break, from the case and to talk to the one person she could tell everything to. She drove straight from the office to the Shadybrook clinic. The young woman, who was well known by the attentive staff, was quickly given a visitor's badge and escorted to a private room by a nurse.

"It's nice that you came by today, she'll enjoy your visit." The cheery nurse let her know as they walked side by side.

Elizabeth smiled as a response, but felt guilty she hadn't visited so often lately.

The nurse approached the patient who was sitting still in an armchair. "Liliana, there is someone here to see you." She said softly but didn't get any response back.

"Hi mom. How have you been?" Elizabeth gently asked sitting down at the foot of the bed next to the armchair. She placed her hand on the woman's unreceptive arm. "It's good to see you, I've missed you. Sorry I haven't been coming by very often these days but I've been working so hard lately. I know what you would say, you'll want me to take it easy and to remember to eat dinner and to sleep full nights… but I can't, not until I find something I can work with. But I have a feeling there is something out there that I'm just missing, and that feeling just drives me crazy." She let out a sigh. "Right now you would probably tell me not to get so consumed in this case and to try to deal with it like I would any other assignment but you would also understand that I can't… because I won't stop until I reach my goal and keep my promise to you."

Elizabeth lifted her eyes to meet the older woman's in search of a reaction but there was none, as always. All she could do anymore was stare blindly at the window. It ached her heart to see her mother in this state but it also reminded her of exactly why she was working so hard to ensure Sonny Corinthos was put away for good.

* * *

After a stop home to take a rest and shower, Jason rushed back to Elizabeth's studio, hoping she would already be back from her meeting with her boss but instead he found Spinelli, sitting behind the surveillance cameras and working on cross referencing the mysterious man they had seen at Corinthos' home with the FBI database.

"Valiant spy, how can I help you?" The young man said not taking away his eyes from the screen.

"Hi Spinelli, I was hoping Elizabeth would be back already, have you seen her? I tried her apartment but she wasn't home."

"Why exactly are you looking for Queen E?" Spinelli demanded to know.

"I need to talk to her about the case, it's something I remembered, it might be useful." Jason told him.

"Something you remembered?"

"Yes."

Spinelli turned his head back to focus on his screen. "She hasn't been back yet and has asked me to keep an eye on the surveillance for her and work on identifying the mysterious visitor of the night."

Jason could feel a little bit of a cold shoulder. "Look Spinelli, I know you might not trust me yet and I get it, I work for Sonny and I came out of nowhere but I guarantee you that I want this man to pay more than anyone else does."

"Queen E trusts you and has asked me to do the same so I will." The computer genius said.

"But I really want you to know that I am a hundred percent committed to our investigation and will never do anything to compromise you or Elizabeth and I really hope you believe that and that we can become friends after all this." Jason assured him.

Spinelli could read sincerity in the man's eyes, maybe Elizabeth was right and Jason could be trusted. "I'm afraid she didn't hear what she wanted from her boss and she is upset."

"I figured, when I didn't hear back from her." Jason said.

"Shooting range on Brown Street." Spinelli then let out.

"What?"

"You'll most likely find her there, that's where she goes to blow off some steam." Spinelli clarified.

"Thanks Spinelli."

* * *

Jason had never been inside a shooting range, he didn't even know that there were some in Port Charles but there he was looking for Elizabeth who he spotted right away. She was the only woman standing gun in hand and aiming at paper targets.

"Is that what you like to do on your spare time?" Jason sneaked up on her then realized it probably wasn't a good idea given she was armed and definitely dangerous.

"What are you doing here?" She asked all while managing to remain focused on her aim. She took down the next shot that presented to her by sending three bullets to his head.

"Spinelli told me I could find you here." Jason said, eyes still focused on the holes she had perfectly inflicted to her target, impressed by what a steady shot she was.

"Yea, I like to come to blow off steam." Elizabeth said then took out her protective glasses and earphones then unloaded her gun.

"That's exactly what he said."

Elizabeth was pleased Spinelli seemed to have warmed up to Jason. "Sorry I didn't answer your call, but I went to visit my mother then I needed a minute to disconnect."

"No problem, I can leave you to it if you still need some time." Jason offered.

"No that's fine."

"So, I take it you're not officially back on the case." Jason guessed while they walked towards the exit together.

"No, and my boss had the audacity to tell me I had become too invested. I mean can you believe it? I've spent so much time on this case, how could I not be invested!" The agent let out a sigh.

"So now what?" Jason asked a visibly exasperated Elizabeth.

"Now we continue what we're doing and we bring down Corinthos, without any help from the feds."

"You know, for what it's worth, you might be able to do so much more by not playing by the rules." He remarked.

"I know, but the only problem is some of the evidence we come up with will never be accepted in court because they have not be obtained legally. And you know what would kill me? Is that after all this work Corinthos walks free because of a technicality."

"I know what you mean, but right now we don't really have a choice but not to play by the rules so it's a risk we have to take to see this through." Jason said.

Elizabeth nodded.

"I also wanted to tell you that I remembered something one of Corinthos' lieutenant told me the other day. I was asking about what I was carrying and about the next shipment and he told me I better stop asking questions if I didn't want to end up like a certain Zander Smith."

"Did he really say Zander Smith?" Elizabeth's eyes opened wide.

"Yes." Jason confirmed.

"That's major! I can't believe you didn't tell me that before."

"Is this someone relevant?"

"Yes! Absolutely, Zander Smith used to work for Corinthos back in the day, and then from one day to the other he was out and we haven't heard anything about him since. Now that implies that he either turned on Corinthos and was killed or that he ran to save his skin after becoming too curious."

"And how do we know which scenario is the right one?" Jason wondered.

"We have some digging to do. Let's go meet Spinelli at the studio."

* * *

"Cowabunga! Zander Smith was last spotted in Brooksville, Florida, The Jackal even has an address for you."

"The Jackal is amazing!" Elizabeth exclaimed thrilled that not only Zander Smith seemed to be alive and kicking, but that Spinelli had managed to locate him that easily.

"How come Corinthos never found him?" Jason asked.

"Because Mr. C does not have the Jackal on retainer." Spinelli proudly said. "I've spotted a change of name but I could easily trace it back to his original moniker, probably an amateur's handy work."

"Well, I guess we're off to Florida tomorrow." Elizabeth said then continued.

"I'm coming with you?" Jason asked.

"Of course you are, Smith is our best bet to dish out some dirt on Sonny Corinthos, I wouldn't want you to miss it." She turned to Spinelli. "I know I'm asking a lot of you but any chance on the stranger at Sonny's estate?"

"Couldn't find a match unfortunately, the mysterious midnight visitor was extremely careful not to show himself to a nice angle on camera."

"Ok, well, we'll find him some other way. Now we first have to focus on Zander Smith, our first major lead!"


	6. Part 6 - C for Caught Up

_Thanks for all your comments, they really make my day and I'm loving all the theories about the mystery man! In a few chapters we will get to find out if you are right... until then, I hope you'll enjoy their little Florida adventure!_

**Part 6**

**C for Caught Up**

Elizabeth finished packing a small traveling bag then went to the bathroom to tie her hair up in a high ponytail. Midway into it, she changed her mind and decided to let her hair down, a new look she was enjoying these days since she didn't have to be in the office anymore. She started brushing her long and curly tresses when a knock at her door caught her attention.

"Coming!" she yelled expecting Jason to be picking her up for the airport, he was early she thought.

Elizabeth grabbed her bag, home keys and sunglasses then opened the door, only to come face to face with Lucky Spencer. "You're going somewhere?" He asked noticing her piece of luggage.

"It's none of your damn business Spencer! But yes, I'm going on vacation what do you want?" She barked at him.

"Umm… I like your hair like that, it fits you really well." Lucky smiled as he ogled her from head to toe.

"What do you want Lucky?" Elizabeth impatiently repeated. "And why are you always popping up uninvited? You know I need a warning before I have to deal with you."

"Come on Webber, can we wave the white flag for just a few minutes, you don't have to always be so hostile towards me." He told her. "And you know, a smile fits your pretty face so much better than a frown."

Elizabeth let out a repelled sigh. "I am not being… hostile, I just don't have time for you." She said, in a hurry to get to the airport and follow her lead on Zander Smith.

"I get it, you're in a rush so I'll get straight to the point." Lucky placed his hands in his pockets as he continued talking. "So, I was wondering… if… you… would consider going for a drink with me when you get back from your vacation. I mean now that we don't work together anymore-"

"Let me think… umm" Elizabeth placed her hand under her chin as she faked considering his proposition then quickly said. "No! Definitely not, I have no interest whatsoever in revisiting what it is that I dodged the first time around." Elizabeth said incredulous. "And please don't talk like I was fired, I will be back soon enough."

"Ok…" Spencer trailed out feeling slightly insulted. "I see you are still angry at me about the C case but-"

"Angry at you? Are you for real right now Lucky? You went to Mac behind my back and asked to take the lead on my case. You think I wouldn't find out!"

"Here we go again… You had already been placed on leave, I offered my services to cover for you while you were away, I didn't know he would hand me over the entire case, I swear." The man said, hands up in the air.

"Fuck you Spencer!" She threw at him in anger over his background politics.

Jason appeared right when Elizabeth was about to unleash her wrath on Lucky. "Ready to go?" He asked then took a look at Lucky who gazed back at him.

"Yes I am, my unwanted visitor was just leaving." Elizabeth said, getting back to a calm state.

"Who's that?" Lucky asked surprised by the other man's presence but relieved he had stopped a feisty Elizabeth from jumping at his neck.

"I told you, I'm going on vacation and I'm not going alone." Elizabeth said with a not so innocent grin before adding. "Goodbye Lucky, we have a plane to catch."

Elizabeth locked her door and followed Jason down the stairs and into the taxi.

"What was all that about?" The young man asked as soon as the driver pulled away from the curb.

"Sorry for insinuating there was a thing between you and me but that's the best I could think of to get rid of Spencer. This man is like a thorn in my foot."

"Ah that was agent Spencer… I can tell you are fond of him." Jason said sarcastically. "But I think I walked in on you about to scream at him, what did he do? Is it about the case?"

"My boss Mac told me yesterday that Lucky had asked him to take over the case behind my back so when I saw his smug face I lost it."

"I see." Jason said pensively. "Doesn't that sound a little fishy to you?"

"I know, I thought about it too but we don't know for sure that the bureau has been compromised so this could just be him being his ambitious self." Elizabeth gave him the benefit of the doubt. "And believe me, I hate this fool with a passion, but I've also known him for a long time, he's always been pretty straight forward."

"People change, or he may have a reason to work with Corinthos I don't know but if I was you I would be careful what I tell him."

Elizabeth smiled; Jason was turning into a real investigator right before her proud eyes.

"What's funny?" The young man asked, surprised by her smiling face.

"Nothing, I was just thinking you would make a terrific agent, you ask the right questions and make the right deductions."

Jason grinned. "I'm learning from the best."

Elizabeth who was flattered looked away at the window. "Well, one thing for sure is that when I get back I'll have to keep a close eye on Lucky Spencer." She turned back to Jason. "By the way, did you have any problems getting out of work?"

"Not at all, working for Corinthos is actually not all that bad… you get paid pretty well, hours are flexible and well when things are calm like these days there is not much work to be done so I said I was taking off to visit family."

"Look at you… are you sure you still want to destroy the employer of the year?" Elizabeth joked with a smirk.

Jason grinned. "More than ever."

* * *

Once in Brooksville, Jason and Elizabeth easily narrowed down on the address Spinelli had indicated them and were surprised by how easy it had been to locate their potential witness. If Smith thought he was safe, he should think again.

"Here we are." Jason said once on the first floor of an old rehabilitated building. "So now what? We knock and ask him to tell us everything he knows about Corinthos?"

"Pretty much yes." Elizabeth said, and then gave three hard knocks to the door. "Zander Smith? We'd like to talk to you so open up please."

"Who are you and what do you want?" A man shakily replied from inside.

"We're looking for someone and you might know where to find him. Please come out and talk to us." Elizabeth added.

A silence of a few seconds followed and Elizabeth realized he must have been trying to escape. "Shit! I think he's on the run; there must be a fire exit on the other end of the building. Both Jason and her sprinted down the stairs and around the building and realized her instincts had been correct, they saw Zander running as fast as he could down a small street. Jason rushed after him followed close behind by Elizabeth. After five good minutes, the young man was able to close the gap and jumped on Zander, stopping him by making him fall to the ground.

Elizabeth, caught up to them shortly after. "Wow, nice chase."

"Thanks." Jason said then dragged Zander against the wall in a dark alley where they wouldn't be disturbed.

"What do you want from me? Sonny sent you that's it? He sent you to kill me?" The scared young man asked, out of breath.

"Listen to me Zander." Elizabeth said. "We're on the same side, we're here because you can help us take down Sonny Corinthos.

"That's a joke right? Nobody can take down Sonny, he's untouchable… he's made that clear!" The panicked young man spit out.

"That's not true, we're building a strong case against him but the only thing we're missing right now is irrefutable evidence that can incriminate him." Elizabeth told him.

"And what makes you think I can help you with that?" Zander who was still held immobile by Jason threw at her.

"We know you can, you were very close to Corinthos back in the day then you had a falling out and you ran. Now you would only run to save your life if you have damaging information on him." Elizabeth continued her interrogation. "Look, I understand your hesitation but we can help you. If you give us Corinthos the FBI will protect you. Do you realize how easy it was for us to find you? If Corinthos decided to really look for you he would find and kill you in the blink of an eye so think about it." She said, visibly intimidating Zander.

Zander looked at her straight in the eyes then at Jason before setting his gaze back on Elizabeth. "Can you really keep me safe?"

She unwaveringly nodded. "Yes we can, all I need is to make a call and I can arrange everything by tonight." Elizabeth said knowing it would probably require a lot of explanation to her boss but if the intel was good enough it was worth it.

"Ok." Zander finally said with a deep breath.

"It's ok." Elizabeth signaled Jason to let go of the man's shirt as she could tell he was about to cooperate.

Zander stepped away from the wall and rubbed his collar bone before saying. "There is a flash drive."

"What's in it? And where does he keep it?" Elizabeth pushed for more details.

"Account numbers, names maybe… it's in his study in a safe behind his family portrait. He left it opened one day, it was probably a test, I don't know, but I got curious and looked into it but Sonny found out and he put out a hit on me so I ran for my life." Zander explained. "I am living in fear that someone will just ring my doorbell an take me down any minute."

Jason shook his head, this tell reminding him about the hit Corinthos had put on his brother so many years ago. He jumped back to Zander's neck, keeping him pressed against the wall again. "Did you kill my brother?" he asked, veins on his neck sticking out.

"Jason stop, calm down, he's helping us." Elizabeth tried to take him off their informant.

But Jason didn't listen. "A.J. Quartermaine, Sonny ordered a hit on him five years ago, did you do it? Did you kill him?"

"No! I didn't I swear! I don't even know about this guy." Zander said, shaking in fear.

"Jason let go!" Elizabeth ordered him, hoping to calm him down before he did anything stupid to compromise their investigation.

Heavy breaths escaped Jason who finally got back to his senses and let go of Zander. Elizabeth sent a scolding look at her partner then turned back to Zander as Jason walked away to blow off some steam.

"Sorry about that... You've been very helpful, I'm going to make the call and arrange for you to get protection as soon as possible. In the meantime, you stay home and lock yourself up, ok?"

The frightened young man nodded. "Ok."

* * *

They returned to their hotel and climbed up to their neighboring rooms in complete silence. Elizabeth straight away tried to call Mac to explain the situation but couldn't reach him so she went to meet Jason in his room and talk about what had just happened.

She knocked on Jason's door. He let her in.

"What is wrong with you?" Elizabeth expectedly screamed at him. "This man may have served us Corinthos on a platter and this is how you repay him."

"I'm sorry ok! I just got worked up when I realized he was probably there when Corinthos ordered my brother's death."

Elizabeth let out a sigh. "I'm not completely insensitive, I know that this is though on you reliving your brother's death but it's necessary in order to make Corinthos pay for what he did to him." She empathized with him.

"You get it because your father died because of the mob too." He said. "You never talked about what happened."

"That's because I don't really like talking about it." Elizabeth said looking away.

"You don't have to tell me anything if it makes you uncomfortable." Jason said, seeing how delicate the subject was to the brunette.

Elizabeth sat on the bed, her hands under her thighs as she prepared to go somewhere she didn't like, inside her past. "I cannot give you details, maybe one day… but my father was the victim of a car bomb. It happened years ago, I was still a teenager then. He was on his way to work one day like every morning but this time when he placed the key in the ignition his car blew up."

Jason was speechless as he wondered about Corinthos' involvement in her father's murder, but didn't ask. Elizabeth would say once she was ready, he thought then listened to her go on.

Elizabeth took a deep breath. "My mother saw the explosion and entered into a catatonic state because she couldn't deal with the reality of losing him and she felt responsible. So all she's been able to do since my dad died is stare at a wall and doctors have no hope that will ever change."

Jason sat next to her on the bed and placed a hand around her shoulder as he could tell how painful reliving these days was for her. "I'm sorry, this must have been very hard for you, losing both your father and mother so young."

She smiled at him, still lost in her thoughts before she noticed his hand was bleeding. "What happened to your hand?"

"Oh, that?" Jason said looking at the damage. "It's probably when I jumped on him to stop him from running."

"Come here, let's put your hand under cold water, it will help." She dragged him to the bathroom, made him sit on the toilet seat and stuck his hand under the running sink. After fifteen seconds of cold water therapy, she rolled a small towel around his injured hand. "Here, it will get better faster that way."

"Thanks." Jason said, not letting Elizabeth let go of his hand. She looked up at him and stared back in his crystal blue eyes, unable to get her eyes off them, she was like hypnotized.

The brunette opened her mouth to speak but didn't know what to say as unexpected feelings were rushing through her mind and body. Still unable to move of an inch, Elizabeth watched Jason's healthy hand hold the back of her neck as he pushed her face down to his. She didn't resist. Their mouths met accelerating all the thoughts she was having while causing chills to run down her back. They shared a kiss; a mutually enjoyable and wanted kiss that was about to turn into more when Elizabeth's cell phone interrupted their embrace. She stepped away.

"It must be Mac, my boss calling me back. I should get this…" Elizabeth walked out of the bathroom to answer, leaving Jason to let out a heavy breath.

"Hello Mac? I called you because I have something really big so before you get mad at me for not listening to you please remember that everything I did was because I really thought I could find something new about the case."

_"The C case? Webber, you have to be kidding me! Do I have to fire you for good for you to back off? I can't believe this, you're like a dog with a bone."_

"I know Mac, I know people say that to me all the time but please listen to what I have to say, you'll want to hear it."

_"What is it?"_

"I found Zander Smith."

_"Who is that? And why should I care?"_

"Smith used to be very close with Corinthos but they fell apart when he betrayed him a few years ago now. He's alive and has been hiding scared for his life."

_"I'm totally against you pursuing a lead on your own without even informing Spencer who is now leading this investigation but… I'm listening, this sounds interesting."_

"Ok, he's ready to tell us everything her knows but in exchange of protection." Elizabeth said relieved Mac would at least hear her out.

_"That can be arranged, we'll get him into the witness protection program but he better give us something big on Corinthos."_

"Yes! He will, I guarantee that." Elizabeth happily exclaimed. "So can I get my case back now?"

_"No!"_ Mac yelled over the phone. _"I'll have Spencer take over from here so he can interrogate him and ops will be in contact to arrange Smith's protection."_

"Not Spencer!" Elizabeth spontaneously let out. "Mac, I found Smith, I should be the one to carry out this interrogation."

_"You should be happy I'm not firing you for pursuing a lead on your own! You could have compromised the entire investigation do you realize that?"_ Mac scolded the stubborn agent. _"It's Spencer's case now, he carries out the interrogation. End of story!"_

Elizabeth felt her ears catch fire as frustration built up inside her but managed to remain calm. She couldn't bring up to her boss her suspicions about Lucky without any proof. "Fine, but please keep as few people in the loop as possible, I have reasons to think that Corinthos has ears inside the bureau."

_"What are you talking about? That's impossible!"_ Mac resolutely said.

"I am suspecting that one of us may be in contact with Corinthos."

_"You better bring me some proof before you start making this types of serious allegations."_

"And I will, but until then please just keep this information about Smith very close to your vest, if Corinthos finds out where he is, we both know what will happen and we need him to stay alive if we ever want him to testify against his old boss."

_"Alright, fine… will that be all?"_ Mac sarcastically asked the uncontainable agent.

"That's all, thanks Mac." Elizabeth finished talking to her boss and placed her phone back in her pocket. Jason walked back into the room once he heard that she was done talking on the phone.

"How did it go?" He asked.

"Ok I guess, I mean I'm not back on the case but I'm not fired either." Elizabeth let him know.

"That's good." Jason told her. "How about Zander? Will he get the protection?"

"Yea, Mac agreed to it, so if all goes well he will be able to testify against Corinthos when we need him to."

"That's great! We almost have him!" Jason exclaimed overjoyed then spontaneously took Elizabeth in his arms. She was first taken aback by the sudden hug but quickly warmed up to the celebratory embrace. Jason's arms were strong but holding her gently as she nested her head against his chest. The man caressed her full hair which scent he couldn't help but draw in as he thought how good it felt to feel her so close to him.

Elizabeth lifted her eyes up to meet his as their mouths readied to meet again, like unable to resist each other now that they had crossed that thin line.

Unexpectedly, her cell phone went off again, causing the two to break away.

Elizabeth took a look at the caller ID. "I have to work out the details of Smith's protection program." She told Jason, as work was calling. "See you tomorrow morning." She added before leaving his room for hers.


	7. Part 7 - C for Compromised

_And the story continues... Happy thanksgiving!_

**Part 7**

**C for Compromised**

Elizabeth and Jason boarded their plane back to Port Charles early that morning and could not have hoped for a better outcome. They had found Zander Smith, he had opened up about a potentially very damaging piece of evidence against his former employer and Elizabeth had managed to convince Mac to get him into the witness protection program. They were both very glad of the turn of events but what preoccupied their minds that morning wasn't the C case, but the kiss they had shared the night before.

A flight attendant leaned over the two of them and spoke to Jason. "You and your girlfriend are seating on an exit row, are you familiar with what you need to do in case of emergency."

"Oh it's not… she is not… we are not…" Both Elizabeth and Jason tried to express at the same time.

"My mistake." The young woman told them.

Elizabeth spoke again. "No harm done… and yes we've read the instructions." She said picking up the pamphlet in front of her.

The flight attendant smiled at them and turned to advise the other side.

Elizabeth then placed the pamphlet back and began fidgeting in her seat as if she was looking for something before turning to Jason. "I think you're seating on half of my seatbelt."

Jason lifted up to let her pull the belt from under him. "Sorry." He said then fastened his.

They sat next to each other silently as the plane took off. Elizabeth, who was lost in her thoughts, stared at the moving clouds pensively, as she wondered what the moment they had shared in Jason's hotel room had meant for them.

A long and awkward hour passed, as the two young people who usually were never out of things to say to each other remained dead quiet, until Jason finally decided to break the uncomfortable silence. "Should we… should we talk about yesterday?" he suddenly said, rubbing his chin.

Elizabeth turned to look at him. "Umm… sure, now that I've briefed the ops team, Smith will get contacted and whisked away somewhere safe where no one will be able to find him until-"

Jason interrupted her. "I wasn't really talking about the case."

"Oh…" Elizabeth who felt her cheeks warming let out.

Jason who could sense her discomposure said. "We don't really have to talk about it, after all it was… just a kiss right?"

"Right… just a kiss." Elizabeth repeated but couldn't help but feel a sting of disappointment that this was all it seemed to mean to him.

"I don't want things to get weird between us." He added. "I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable, I just…" He stopped mid sentence, but he just hadn't been able to resist the urge to kiss her as he was developing feelings for her.

"You didn't, and I don't want things to get weird either. We still have so much work to do before Sonny Corinthos is stopped and this is what we should focus on." Elizabeth said then cleared her throat.

"Right." Jason said himself slightly disappointed Elizabeth was making it clear the case should remain their number one priority.

* * *

Elizabeth and Jason arrived back in Port Charles full of hope that very soon the case against Sonny Corinthos would be hefty enough to put him behind bars. The flash drive Zander had told them about most likely contained a goldmine of information that would undeniably link Corinthos to his illegal activities and getting a hold of it would be the only way to drag him to court and get him convicted.

Elizabeth was full of hope but couldn't help but feel uneasy at the fact that she wouldn't be able to see the operation through. She arrived home from the airport and was only able to drop her bag on the floor when she heard a knock at her door. She really hoped for his own sake that Lucky wasn't the one behind that door.

She swung it opened and saw Patrick standing in front of her. "Hey you, what brings you here?" She told her friend.

"I was in the neighborhood and thought I would try and see if you were home." The doctor said then walked in. "Are you going somewhere?" He then asked noticing her piece of luggage.

"Actually I just got back." She told him.

"What did I miss, where did u go?" He asked curious.

"I can't really say, it was part of my investigation but what I can tell you is that I've come across incredible information, for the first time in months I have something concrete to focus on." Elizabeth said excited.

"That's great to hear, I know how important this case is to you." Her friend told her.

"So that's why I had to take off so quickly…"

"Oh, I see… Me who thought you were going on vacation, with an attractive man you know, what you actually should be doing." Patrick teased her.

She shook her head. "I was not on vacation but definitely with an attractive man."

"No way! Who?" The young man asked his curiosity peaked.

"Long story short… you remember when I told you someone showed up and reignited this investigation? Well someone who wants Corinthos out of the streets as much as I do came to my help and we've been working together on the case."

"Okay... that sounds promising" Patrick said, attentively listening.

She continued. "Well we actually have been working really well together, I mean so well that we seem to have developed some kind of attraction to each other too."

"I see…" Patrick said. "And you are worried about how this will affect you working together?"

"Not so much worried but I feel like maybe I should be cautious, I haven't felt anything like this in a very long time and maybe its just the thrill of working together… and when this is all over he will be out of my life." Elizabeth tried to make sense of the feelings she felt towards Jason.

"Then enjoy him now!" Patrick matter-of-factly advised her.

"What if I get attached, you know how hard for me it is to let people in, because I just can't bear losing them." Elizabeth said then looked away. Losing both her parents as a teenager had made her feel like anyone she ever cared about would eventually disappear. She let out a loud breath. "On top of that there is the case, I can't do anything that might put this investigation in jeopardy. " She explained. "He could even end up being a witness and you can imagine how that would look like."

"But going by what you said, you two get along very well and seeing how excited you look just talking about him I doubt you will be able to wait until the case is done to take the next step so… just go for it." Patrick encouraged her.

"But I tend to be really bad at this relationship thing, you know that… and mixing it with work is a recipe for disaster." Elizabeth stamped her hand on her forehead as she spoke.

"Don't overthink it Elizabeth. And look at me I've been with my share of women at the hospital and can still be professional when I need to be and have fun on my personal time."

"But I'm not you Patrick... Anyway, I'm not even sure he's interested in something more, all we did was share a kiss." Elizabeth shrugged.

"Oh please, don't try to tell me that this guy whoever he is, can be insensitive to you… You're beautiful, you're smart and confident, he won't be able to resist that for very long… and I'm talking from experience." Her one time date turned best friend said.

Elizabeth shook her head then smiled at the compliment.

"So when do I get to meet this hunk of a partner of yours?" Patrick asked.

"Once we're all done with our investigation…" Elizabeth told him before changing the subject. "Why did you come over anyway?"

"Well I wanted a woman's perspective about something… it's about Robin, she seems to be ignoring me now." Patrick explained. "I'm usually the one who ignores people not the other way around so I don't know what went wrong, we were getting along quite well and I thought we were going somewhere."

"What did you do?" Elizabeth asked.

"What? Why do you assume I did something wrong?"

"I'm not assuming, I know. Could she have seen you flirting with a nurse and got upset?" Elizabeth guessed.

"Well… flirting is a strong word, I get along with all the nurses; they call me McDreamy you know." Patrick grinned profusely.

"Ok Patrick well you might want to tone that down a little if you want a real shot with Robin or she's not going to take you seriously."

"You women are so complicated, I can't even be nice to other women anymore." Patrick said crossing his arms.

"Oh you can be nice… but not too nice if I'm making any sense."

"Alright… I get it and will try." Patrick said, glad his friend was able to clarify the situation for him. "Alright, I'll let you unpack. I'll see you later!" He kissed Elizabeth on the cheek and left for the hospital.

* * *

Jason was walking down Elm Street Pier, on his way to meet Elizabeth at her studio to discuss what they should do with the newly uncovered information about the mysterious flash drive. But most of all, his mind couldn't help but drift away to Elizabeth and how soft her skin was and how hypnotic it had been to taste her lips. The young man realized how difficult it would be to work with her without being drawn in to her and feel the desire to kiss and touch her again, but he would have to try and keep his cool, at least until they were done with the investigation.

He let out a sigh as he stopped in front of the water to clear his mind.

"Jason right?" he heard from behind and saw Carly standing up on the stairs.

She walked down towards him. "It's nice to see you again." The blond woman said once standing next to him. "And you don't have to run away from me this time Jason. I'm sorry if I came off to you the wrong way the other day but all I want from you is a friendship, I'm married."

"Yes, to my boss, Mr. Corinthos, so I don't think it would be such a great idea for me to be friends with you." Jason told her.

"Oh why not? I am friends with a lot of Sonny's men, Max, Milo, Johnny… I get along with all of them really." She said then pointed out. "But you."

"I have no problem with you." Jason pretended then crossed his arms, his body language saying the complete opposite thing his mouth was.

Carly couldn't help a chuckle as she wondered why Jason Morgan was so cold to her; she usually had a different effect on men. She stared the frowning man down looking for what would make a man like this tick but she couldn't read him, something was just off she thought.

"You know, you remind me of someone." Carly suddenly said eyeing the man further. "Someone I knew a few years ago. Someone I was very close to for a time but well, our lives took different directions." The woman pensively said.

Jason who was afraid she would recognize him as A.J.'s brother decided it was time to leave. "I should get going, I'm meeting someone."

"Of course." She told him. "And Jason, it was nice talking to you."

The young man nodded and left quickly, fearing for his cover.

* * *

Elizabeth and Jason met again at her studio. They had agreed to very maturely deal about the kiss they had shared at the hotel the day before by simply ignoring it happened, for the time being and focusing on the investigation. They would have plenty of time to discuss their feelings at a later time.

"So how are we supposed to get our hands on this flash drive?" Jason asked for the next phase of their plan.

"I don't know, we have to think of something, but with the kind of security Corinthos has, it's almost impossible for us to get anywhere close to his study."

"Well actually, I checked in at work today and they told me it was slow because Sonny is away for the week, in South America I think they said."

"Okay…" Elizabeth wondered how that changed anything.

"When Corinthos is away, security is a also more relaxed so if there is a time to try and get in, it's definitely now."

"Well, that's risky, we'll really need to plan this correctly." Elizabeth's buzzing phone interrupted their strategizing. "Sorry, it's my boss I got to take this."

She got off her old sofa and answered the phone. "Webber?"

_"Elizabeth, bad news, the ops team arrived at Zander Smith's place to move him to a safe house but it was too late… he's dead."_

"What? How?" She let out in complete shock.

_"I don't know. I guess Corinthos got to him before us." _Mac said over the phone.

She hung up the phone livid. Leaving Jason to ask what was wrong.

"They got him, they killed him before we were able to offer him the protection I told him we would give him." Elizabeth explained.

"Dammit…" Jason let out looking to the side then said. "There goes your proof that someone on your side is working with Corinthos."

"I swear if Spencer is behind messing up this operation I'm going to kill him with my bare hands." Elizabeth warned then grabbed her jacket and left to find Lucky.

* * *

Elizabeth spotted Lucky Spencer entering the Port Charles FBI field office and called him out right before he was about to get inside the building. "Lucky wait!"

A caught off guard Lucky turned to face a visibly enraged Elizabeth. "Oh Elizabeth, if I knew vacation for you meant walking all over my investigation-"

She cut him off, not even listening to what he began saying. "You messed everything up! I had done all the work and all you had to do was interrogate Zander Smith and set him up as a protected witness and you failed!"

"First of all calm down, it's not my fault if the guy is dead, I followed every single protocol to the letter… but you cannot say the same." He threw at her.

"Me? I found Smith and now he's gone because you couldn't do your damn job!" Elizabeth said, her index finger in his face.

"I did my job just fine, I sent the ops team and was about to fly there myself when I got the call he was dead. Believe me, I am as pissed at you we lost a major witness."

"You know what, that just sounds too convenient for Corinthos that Smith, who he's been looking for all this time turns up dead as soon as the FBI finds him." Elizabeth insinuated.

"And how could he have heard about this ugh? Mac told me personally about it and the only other person I shared this intel with was Rodriguez, and the ops team nobody else! So before you start pointing fingers at us maybe you should look in the mirror. Maybe you led Corinthos to Zander Smith, or maybe your boy toy is to blame, as it seems you are mixing business with pleasure these days… but this was definitely not on me!" Lucky snapped back irritated Elizabeth who had broken every rule in the book was pointing fingers at him and his team.

"Someone is talking to Corinthos, now I'm sure of it and until this is resolved we will never get him so you might want to start your investigation there!" Elizabeth said then turned around to leave but stopped in her tracks and faced Spencer one more time. "If you have anything to do with this I will find out and when I do you'll be finished!"

She stormed away; even angrier than she was when she arrived.

* * *

Jason watched Elizabeth barge back inside the studio, take her jacket off and throw it next to him. He didn't dare ask her how her confrontation with Spencer went and instead kept watching her as she sought out the screenshot of the mysterious visitor Spinelli had printed for them. "Who the hell is this?" She said out loud, incapable of recognizing who the man on the picture was. It was someone from the bureau, she was certain of that now, someone with access to classified information, or someone with ears at the right place and conceivably even Lucky.

"Elizabeth you will figure out who the mole is, it's just a matter of time. Now we just know that no one can be trusted but us." Jason said.

"I promised this guy, I told him we would keep him safe…" She shook her head. "Instead I practically served him up to Corinthos. I'm responsible for this."

Jason approached her, wanting to take her in his arms but decided against it. "Don't blame yourself. You didn't know that would happen."

"I should have known!" She looked at him in the eyes. "We already suspected that someone on my side was dirty; I never should have let Mac hand it to Spencer. Ugh! What was I thinking? Now we lost our only witness!"

Jason placed his hand on her shoulder and stroked her arm gently to comfort her. "This is one more reason Corinthos needs to be stopped. And I know, it's terrible he died like this but at least he told us about the flash drive before they got to him."

Elizabeth took another look at the mystery man screenshot then lifted her eyes from the picture and looked at Jason. "Let's do it, let's look for the flash drive tonight. You'll have to get it, Spinelli and I will be right outside providing you with tech support but you're already on the inside, you can get close to the study."

"Tonight? Are you sure we're ready for that?" Jason said doubting they were prepared for such an operation.

"We don't have any more time to waste, we can't count on no one but Spinelli and if we wait too long word of us might end up getting to Corinthos and then we're done. It's now or never Jason." Elizabeth determinedly said.

He let out a deep breath and stared in her eyes. "Ok, let's do it."


	8. Part 8 - C for Covert Operation

_Some of you might be wondering why we still haven't seen Sonny in this fic while everyone keeps talking about him all the time, but he will end up making an apparition a little later with a few revelations... I want to thank all my readers; this would definitely not be as much fun if I didn't know you were following and hopefully enjoying this story._

**Part 8**

**C for Covert Operation**

A couple hours after Jason and Elizabeth decided to go after the flash drive, Spinelli arrived, his backpack filled with electronics as he interrupted Elizabeth and Jason who were reviewing the house plan of Corinthos' mansion. "You found everything I asked for?" Elizabeth asked him.

"Once again the Jackal has been proven of unequaled effectiveness." He began pulling things out of his backpack. "State of the art communication devices, flashlight and most importantly the decoder."

"What's that?" Jason asked, staring at the tiny machine.

"This is what Stone Cold will use to crack the code of the safe where Mr. C safeguards the flash drive." Spinelli told him. "The assassin of cyberspace was able to figure out the specs of his safe from a purchase receipt and this genius object should open it in thirty seconds or less."

Jason picked it up wondering how this small gadget could get the job done in thirty seconds only.

Elizabeth then stood in front of the tall man and ordered. "Take off your shirt."

"My t-shirt? You want me to take it off?" Jason asked taken by surprise.

"It's so a microphone can be hooked to your stone cold frame." Spinelli jumped in to explain the unusual request.

Jason did as he was told and took off his black tee, not leaving Elizabeth insensitive to his well-defined abs. She grabbed the thin wire and taped it tightly against Jason's firm torso, her eyes hardly breaking away from his as she grazed his skin.

Spinelli could feel the tension building in the room as Jason and Elizabeth stared at each other immobile; he stood next to them feeling like the odd man out. "It seems I am in the middle of a scene of the upmost intimate nature… Umm… The Jackal will disappear and be back with the remaining necessary items for this mission of the most secret nature to be a success." He rambled on before disappearing back out.

Jason and Elizabeth barely noticed that Spinelli had decided to give them some privacy and felt the same magnetic type of attraction that had surprised them at the hotel room in Florida. They felt pulled towards one another as Jason broke the alluring silence. "Elizabeth…"

"Shhh..." The agent replied and as she couldn't wait any longer, she crashed her mouth on his; reliving the same incredible sensation she had felt during their first kiss. Jason deepened the kiss and held her close to his bare chest as their tongues played of each other. It had been so long since he had felt this way about a woman but Elizabeth could make him melt through just a kiss, and kill him of pleasure by placing her soft hands over his chest.

She managed to pull away. "Sorry, we should… we should focus. Tonight is important."

"You're right." Jason said then wore back his black t-shirt over the wire so that they both could get their minds back to the mission at hand.

"But this was great." A blushed Elizabeth said, softly; her mouth curling up as she looked back at him.

"It was." Jason confirmed with a coy grin.

"You have to be careful in there." She then warned him not wanting to take a chance on his safety. "If for any reason you feel like you won't be able to get to the study in time we'll just abort the mission and try some other way. Don't try to be a hero."

Jason smiled at the concerned woman in front of him. "I won't, I will be careful and everything will work out fine." He told her before dropping a sweet peck on Elizabeth's lips.

She smiled then looked around the small room. "Where did Spinelli go?"

"I think he had more stuff to bring, he said." Jason told her then looked down toward the wire Elizabeth had just taped under his t-shirt. "So, how does this thing work exactly?"

"Here I'll show you."

* * *

Jason observed the surroundings and was happy to see that barely half of the usual security was in place that day at the Sonny Corinthos estate. Most had probably travelled with the boss leaving his wife and kid with their personal bodyguards.

"There are currently two men by the main entrance and only one in the back. I'll get him away long enough to sneak in." Jason whispered in his well-dissimulated microphone.

_"Copy that."_ He heard back from Elizabeth then went on towards the back door. He found Max there, a young guard who had started working on security for Sonny Corinthos only a few months ago.

"Hey Max! How are you?" Jason asked while approaching him.

'"Jason! I'm great man, what are you doing here, working today?" The young guard asked him.

"Yea, they called me in to check the cars, you know… before the boss comes back." Jason lied. "By the way I need a little bit of a hand, do you mind coming for a minute?"

Max looked around at what seemed like a quiet and risk free evening then nodded. "Sure, I'll help ya." He said then followed Jason towards the garage.

The young man stopped next to one of the two black SUVs he had pulled out of the parking garage to tweak and stuck his head under the opened hood and back out before talking to the guard. "I need you to start the engine for me and step on the gas strong."

Max nodded and climbed on the driver seat. He watched Jason stick his head back inside the car and lift his thumb up high giving him the signal to start the car. He did and pushed on the gas pedal then watched a thick black smoke escape the hood. Jason lifted his head up covered in black soot.

"Ugh, I don't know what happened. We'll probably need to bring this one to the garage." He said wiping his hands on his jeans. "Can you park these two cars for me, I wouldn't want to mess up the seats." Jason said, pointing at the two SUV he had pulled out of the garage.

"Sure. Go clean up I'll take care of it for you." Max, who was a team player, didn't mind.

Jason nodded and rushed to the back to enter the house before Max was back at his post.

"I'm in." He whispered through the microphone.

_"Good, you exactly have five minutes to find and decode that safe, Spinelli already replaced the security camera feed so no one can see you're in the house."_ Elizabeth told him through the tiny earpiece he was wearing.

Jason could feel the pressure building inside him as he made his quick but discreet way to the study. Once in the room Jason hurried to the family portrait Zander had talked to them about and took it down to uncover the safe.

"Ok, I have eyes on the safe." Jason said taking the decoder out of his pocket.

_"Good, you have three minutes, just enough time to open the safe, take the flash drive and get out."_ Elizabeth reminded him. _"The coast is clear, no one is on this side of the house."_

Jason let out a heavy breath as he placed the gadget Spinelli had thought him how to use over the safe and watched it do its magic as it tried a series of numbers. Twenty-five seconds later it opened.

Jason didn't waste any time and picked up what seemed to be the flash drive in question and left behind stacks of cash and passports. "I have it." He then told his back up crew keeping his calm then closed the safe and placed back the portrait.

_"Ok, now get out, the guard is about to get back." _Elizabeth who had eyes on Max on the surveillance videos told him.

Jason, who was living up to his Stone Cold nickname, remained calm and turned around to leave but gasped when he noticed Michael standing in the door of the study in his pajamas.

"Jasin? Why you all black?" Michael asked, pointing at him.

Jason who was taken by surprise heard Elizabeth in his ear. _"Dammit, we didn't see him approach the room, Jason you have to get out now!"_

"Hi Michael." Jason said. "I was repairing one of your daddy's cars."

"Can we play?" The boy, who didn't seem to mind he was inside the house, asked eager to kick a ball with the friendly man.

"Sorry I have to work right now but maybe next time?" Jason told him.

"Okay…" The little boy shrugged then ran upstairs towards his bedroom.

Jason let out a sigh of relief then hurried to the back door, only to notice Max had already resumed his post.

"He's back, how do I exit without being seen?"

_"Hold tight, Spinelli will create a diversion." _Elizabeth calmly told him, her heart beating fast.

"Hurry up." A nervous Jason said back against the wall. If Sonny's wife or one of the guards saw him inside the house, their mission would be done for, and him probably a dead man. Suddenly he saw the security cameras that were scattered around the house start twirling uncontrollably.

"What the hell is going on?" He heard the guard say from the other side of the door. This one then walked up to the camera that was covering the back door to try and fix the issue.

_"And… now! Get out!" _Jason heard in his ear and without wasting any time ran out and closed the door gently behind him. He managed to eclipse himself without Max seeing a thing.

* * *

Jason's heart was beating fast as he hurried to the studio with the flash drive in his pocket. He had never felt like this before, he had just infiltrated Corinthos' study and gotten a hold of the flash drive. They had succeeded and he couldn't have been happier.

"I got it!" He said as he entered and Elizabeth welcomed him with a large beam. Unable to contain her joy, she ran to him and took him in her arms.

"You did it! You were amazing in there!" She told him as they let go of each other.

"But for a second I thought I wouldn't be able to get out unseen, when Michael showed up."

"Sorry about that Jason, he came out of nowhere, when we saw him appear on the screen it was already too late." She told him.

"It's fine, he's a five year old, he probably won't even remember seeing me in there tomorrow." Jason said then took out the flash drive from his pocket. All three of them stared at the small piece he was holding, thinking that all the proof they needed to put Corinthos behind bars was probably in that tiny little thing.

Spinelli carefully picked up the drive as if it was made of porcelain. "This might contain the ultimate piece of evidence we need to stop the scariest evildoer of Port Charles."

Elizabeth and Jason looked at each other and smiled, they were too happy about the successful operation to mind Spinelli's antics.

The computer genius introduced the drive in his computer and began fiercely typing commands on his keyboard, as Jason and Elizabeth stood close behind him.

"What does it look like? Encrypted?" Elizabeth guessed, as Corinthos would most likely have taken his precautions.

"It definitely is, but in no time the Jackal will have managed to crack the particularly stubborn code." Spinelli, said, his concentration unwavering.

Jason, who was still in disbelief that his long planned revenge against Sonny Corinthos would surely soon come to an end, sat on the couch and held his head in his hands. "We got him, we finally got the bastard."

Elizabeth turned to him. "Thanks to you Jason, I've been investigating him for a long time but with your help I got closer that I could ever have been."

The young man grinned but knew none of this would have been possible without Elizabeth's help. "Now how do we play this? You think this can be admitted as evidence." He then asked.

"Well first of all let's wait and see what we can get out of it. Then of course we can't say how we got in possession of this flash drive. I will have to say it came from an anonymous source."

"You think they will buy that?" Jason asked.

"They will have to, if it means sending Corinthos behind bars for good."

Jason got to his feet and took Elizabeth in his arms again, with a strong desire to kiss her lips taking over him but he stopped himself as he remembered Spinelli was right there.

"Decrypted!" The Jackal suddenly exclaimed, throwing fists in the air proud of his skills. Both Elizabeth and Jason promptly let go of each other and leaned over his shoulders to read the screen. On it they saw a list of what seemed to be offshore account numbers and another list of names and dealings records.

"That must be his insurance policy." Elizabeth told them.

"His what?" Jason asked.

"In case all hell breaks loose, this information could have been his bargaining chip for a plea deal or even immunity." Elizabeth shook her head; still unbelieving that she almost had Corinthos and that months of investigation would finally come to fruition. "This is even better than what I was hoping for! You were right, doing things by breaking rules is just so much better."

Jason grinned at her comment.

"Spinelli, in case something happens to the evidence, can you make a copy of it?" She then asked the young man.

"Unfortunately the way this has been encrypted makes any duplicate or printout illegible but the Jackal can work on overriding this special encryption."

Elizabeth bit her lower lip before saying. "Ok, then in the meantime we'll have to be extremely careful about who we trust with this goldmine."

* * *

_Thanks for the reviews! Your comments are a constant inspiration so keep 'em coming!_


	9. Part 9 - C for Cover Blown

_Ok I have to tell you that I wrote and then pretty much rewrote the entire chapter… what can I say, your comments inspired me! Thanks for the amazing feedback, the story would not have turned out the same without you! Alright, on to Part 9... things are starting to get real..._

**Part 9**

**C for Cover Blown**

The next morning when Elizabeth arrived at her studio to meet Jason she was, for the first time in months, hopeful. The night before had been a real roller-coaster ride for the suspended agent but had ended up with a win. A big win that would, if everything went as planned, allow her to finally achieve her and Jason's objective of putting Sonny Corinthos away for good.

"So it's somewhere safe?" Jason asked the brunette for the third time. He hadn't risked his life for nothing.

"Yes it is, you don't have to worry about anyone putting a hand on it." Unfortunately, Spinelli hadn't been able to secure a copy of the precious piece of evidence without the risk of corrupting the files so Elizabeth had carefully hid it somewhere no one would ever look for it. "What we have to worry about for now is making sure whoever is talking to Corinthos is found before we can play our card."

Jason let out a sigh of excitement. "We're almost there, and given everything points towards your best friend Agent Spencer, all we have to do is prove that he is in contact with Sonny."

"I know Lucky is an asshole and has been acting very suspiciously but we still have to consider everyone before we rule them out. Other people had access to the exact same information as him." Elizabeth pointed out then joined Jason on the couch.

"But none of them tried to hijack your case." The young man reminded her. "And you hate him, it has to be for a reason."

"I know, I know… And if it's him then we still need to find the link with Corinthos." Elizabeth said. "Spinelli is already on it but it would be so much easier for me to keep my eyes on Spencer if I was back on the team."

"How about your boss, Mac? He is someone you trust right, maybe he can help?" Jason suggested.

"I do trust him… But I'm just afraid he will talk to someone about what we have and I'm not about to risk losing this flash drive."

"So then, how do you want to play this? We don't have many options right now."

Elizabeth stopped and reflected on the problem at hand. "Maybe you have a point and Mac can help. I will take my suspicion about Lucky to him and see what happens." She decided. "Best case scenario he agrees with me and decides to cut him off the case which hopefully will send him running to Corinthos and we'll be watching when he does."

"Not a bad idea." Jason admitted.

Elizabeth jumped to her feet and realized she felt like kissing Jason goodbye before leaving him, an uncommon sensation for the brunette, which was the result of their building feelings for one another. The elephant in the room would have to be addressed, and now that they had made major inroads in the investigation it was maybe time to do the same in their relationship.

"Jason." The young woman said as she wore her blazer.

"Yes?" The young man replied from his laidback position on the couch.

"I don't know how to do this, I'm really bad at talking about these things and I'm probably already turning red as I speak." The young woman rambled on pointing at her rosy cheeks.

"You want to talk about the kiss." Jason helped her out. "Or more like the kisses, right?"

"Right." She repeated scratching the back of her head, still looking for the right way to say what she meant to say. "I know in the plane I told you that we should focus on the case… and I still think that the case is a big priority because this is why we are both here in the first place… but there is just no good reason for us not to be able to… explore whatever it is that is happening between us at the same time." She bravely uttered.

"You mean we don't have to apologize anymore after we kiss?" Jason asked softly.

The agent chuckled; he had summarized her thoughts perfectly. "Something like that." She then invitingly told him and grabbed her keys. "I should get going and try to catch Mac at Kelly's before he gets to the office. He takes his breakfast there every single morning." She walked towards Jason and gave him the goodbye kiss that had prompted this conversation before leaving the studio.

* * *

When Mac entered Kelly's for his daily breakfast, he right away noticed someone had taken his table, the man of habits always sat at this particular table facing the window so that he could people-watch as he ate. It was the only time of the day he had for himself before getting in the office and being consumed by the constant pressure of delivering results.

He approached to see who had dared steal his spot and noticed it was Elizabeth. Mac would have given everything for her to leave him in peace, especially so early in the day but knowing that it would not happen, he braced himself for another uncomfortable conversation.

"What are you doing here?" The older man griped as he sat down in front of his agent. "Oh no, let me guess, it's the C case… again! You know what, I am up to here with you not letting go!"

Elizabeth first listened to her boss' tirade about how she just couldn't back off for her own good and how being so stubborn would get her in trouble one day.

"Are you done? Can I finally speak?" Elizabeth interjected when she had heard enough.

"Well you're here, at my table… do I have a choice but to listen?" Mac let her know as a waitress brought him his usual order of pancakes and black coffee. He thanked her with a smile before getting his attention back to Elizabeth.

"Look Mac, we never really discussed what happened with the Zander Smith situation and how an FBI witness happens to get killed right before he is taken to a safe house." Elizabeth brought up.

"It's not the first time we lose a witness Webber. I know it's devastating every single time and we feel like we failed them but that's the job we do." He rationalized the sad turn of events then took a bite of his pancake. "We can't protect everybody."

"But this could have been avoided." She told him leaning forward as she spoke. "Like I told you before I think Corinthos has an inside man and one of the people who knew about Smith's location must have tipped him off."

Mac let out a deep breath and took a sip of his coffee. "Yes… it does appear that way but you really think one of the people I brought in on the operation was compromised? We are extremely careful with who joins the bureau and I don't see how any of my agents could have been turned by Corinthos." Mac said then continued eating his breakfast trying desperately to enjoy it despite Elizabeth's presence.

"I know, but it's not impossible." The young woman maintained then added. "Actually, I have a suspect in mind."

"Lucky Spencer?" Mac straightforwardly guessed.

"How did you know?" Elizabeth was left stunned. Mac had come to the same conclusion as her, reinforcing her suspicion and Jason's conviction that Lucky Spencer was the one working with Sonny Corinthos.

"Just a hunch." The man said. "And I have to admit that he's just been way too eager to replace you and then hasn't really made any type of progress whatsoever but reinforcing surveillance measures that already were in place." Mac explained his reasoning.

"He probably only did that to keep appearances while leading the case gave him a front row seat to anything that might be happening so that he could warn Corinthos." The agent completed the theory.

"Well obviously you'll have to bring me some proof of that before I can take any punitive action."

"Does that mean I am back on board?" Elizabeth tempted her luck.

"Come by the office later and you can get your badge back, I need you to work on finding out if Spencer really is talking to Corinthos."

"Finally!" She shouted, with a massive beam. The young woman felt like jumping on her chair and doing the happy dance, but managed to remain professional.

"Don't get too excited Agent Webber, you're not back on the C case." Mac quickly said. "Let's keep Spencer in play so that he feels comfortable."

Elizabeth agreed with her boss' strategy of not alerting Lucky and instead catching him in the act, maybe even by feeding him bogus information.

"Talking about the C Case, what have you come up with since Zander Smith? Because obviously you continued investigating even after I told you not to." Mac, who knew the woman well, told her.

Elizabeth preferred to remain quiet instead of lying to her boss, who would probably not have believed her anyway.

"So?" He insisted while finishing up his breakfast. "Have you found any new leads? Did Smith tell you anything when you found him?"

"I didn't interrogate the witness remember, you asked me to leave it to Spencer." Elizabeth avoided answering the question.

"And since when do you listen to what I say?" He challenged her with a look. "Is there anything else we can use against Corinthos?"

"Mac, all I care about right now is finding out who the mole is, before he is exposed finding anything else on Corinthos is completely pointless because-"

He cut her off. "And we both want to find who that is but I can tell you are hiding something from me right now Webber, I'm _that_ good at my job."

She looked away for a second; Mac had made it to the level of Special Agent in Charge for a reason. He was an expert at reading people.

He kept talking. "Oh I see, you are afraid whatever it is you are keeping to yourself will get to Corinthos' ears somehow?"

"It's not that I don't trust you, or I wouldn't be here right now but I just don't want to risk losing another major lead." Elizabeth explained, hoping Mac wouldn't take it the wrong way.

"Alright, sounds fair enough that you want to sit on it for now… but tell me this at least, is whatever you have good enough to seriously hurt the son of a bitch?"

"It definitely is." Elizabeth asserted, appreciative that her boss understood her tricky position.

* * *

"Michael, can you stand still for a second so I can finish dressing you." Carly asked her jumpy son but the hyperactive little boy jumped up on the bed, ignoring his mother's plea.

"Michael Corinthos the third!" She sternly uttered, hoping he would listen but he didn't and jumped from the bed to the floor wearing only a dinosaur t-shirt and no pants.

"Michael, stop running and come back here and finish dressing up!" She insisted one more time.

"No!" The little boy defied his mother then continued running.

"What's got into you today? Did you have candy for breakfast again?" She asked him then said quietly. "I swear I'm going to fire this nanny if that's the case."

The little boy continued his devilish streak leaving Carly completely exasperated. "I need a cigarette." She told herself in frustration then closed her eyes and put her face in her hands.

But Michael didn't leave her to it and came to pull on her shirt. "Mommy, mommy! I want to play with Jasin!"

"With who? Michael stop pulling my shirt!" She said unlocking the little boys' small fingers one by one off her designer blouse.

"Jasin, Jasin! I want to play soccer with Jasin!" Michael insisted now pulling on her skirt.

"Where is that coming from baby? Jason is not even here right now."

"He was here lass night!" Michael told his mom. "He was all black in daddy's room."

"In Dad's study?" The woman said wondering what the man was doing in there.

"Mommy, can I play with him?"

"Michael, finish dressing up, mommy has to check something." Carly said then decisively walked to her bedroom. She then hurried inside her dressing room and sat on her vanity.

The blond woman opened a jewelry box and emptied its valuable content. She lifted up the velvet red bottom of the box to uncover a hidden picture. Carly took it in her hand and stared at the man who had his arm around her shoulders on it. She couldn't help but smile at the memory of their time together. She had loved him, but he could never have offered her and Michael what Sonny could. She shook her head then looked closer at the young man in the picture then gasped.

"Oh my god!" Carly exclaimed as she realized the resemblance was striking.


	10. Part 10 - C for Confrontation

_Not going to say much, as I imagine you're eager to find out what Carly does with what she found out. This chapter is a slightly shorter one but it marks a turning point in the story… I hope you'll enjoy! As always, I can't wait to read your thoughts!_

**Part 10**

**C for Confrontation**

Elizabeth hurried back to the studio to tell Jason about her conversation with Mac and about how she would finally get her badge back in order to work on exposing Lucky Spencer as the mole. As soon as she stepped foot in the small room she was greeted by a torrid kiss that left her weak in the knees. Thankfully Jason held her tightly by the waist, as he tasted her soft lips.

"Hi to you too." Elizabeth said once she managed to get back to her senses. "What was that for?"

"I just couldn't wait for you to get back." Jason said, and then found her lips again. He had understood loud and clear what she said about not apologizing for their feelings for one another anymore and it felt liberating.

He left her lips alone long enough to ask her a question. "How did it go?"

"Great, better than I hoped." She told him then grabbed Jason's hand and led him to the sofa. Elizabeth smiled; she hadn't been able to stop smiling since Mac had let her know she would finally get reinstated and Jason's welcome kiss had only added to her beautiful bliss. "I'm getting my badge back."

"That's great! Congratulations." Jason said, happy for her but wondered where he would fit now that she would get back to work.

"Well, Spencer will keep heading the case until we can prove that he is dirty. Mac doesn't want him to know that we're on to him." Elizabeth explained.

Jason nodded then said. "So Mac agrees with us, he thinks Agent Spencer is working for Corinthos?"

"He has his suspicions too which I wasn't expecting at all but he definitely agrees something is off. I didn't think it would be that easy to convince him." Elizabeth said, pensively. "To be honest I thought that was a little too easy."

"Really? What do you mean?"

"I don't know, I was expecting him to defend Lucky a little more… but maybe I'm just reading too much into this conversation." Elizabeth shook her head.

"But it definitely confirms what we've been thinking, he knows his people." Jason added.

"I guess so." Elizabeth answered. "At least now it will be much easier for me to expose Lucky or whoever is working for Corinthos."

Jason placed his hand on Elizabeth's thigh. "So now that you are a working FBI agent again, you probably won't need my help as much-"

"I absolutely still need you, Jason. You're not going anywhere." Elizabeth affirmed then watched the man in front of her lift both hands to cradle her face. He then placed a flying curl behind her ear. Elizabeth closed her eyes and reached up to meet Jason's lips, their mouths linked up once more for an ardent kiss.

Her face still between Jason's hands, Elizabeth smiled against the man's lips as she thought about how quickly their relationship had progressed. He smiled back as he caressed her chick with his thumb then said. "Elizabeth, you and I…"

But was interrupted by the sound of his mobile phone that he felt like throwing out of the window at that very moment.

"Was that your phone?" Elizabeth asked him.

"It's a message." Jason said then reached for the phone to check it.

_We need you down at pier 52 asap._ Jason received from one of Sonny's men on the small screen.

"You have to go to work?" She guessed, disappointed their moment had to be cut short.

Jason nodded. "They want me to help out at one of the piers."

"Are you sure you have to go?" She asked hoping there was a way he could stay so that they could finish the conversation they were about to have and enjoy an afternoon make out session. "And now that we have that flash drive you won't need to pretend to work for Corinthos anymore."

"Yes, but after what happened with Zander I'd prefer keeping my cover until we know it's a done deal." Jason told her. "So I should probably go, not to raise any suspicion."

"Sure, I see that… but be careful, if there is any chance Michael said something about seeing you in the house…" Elizabeth reminded him of the risks.

"They wouldn't be calling me in for work if they were suspecting me, they would have shown up at my place this morning guns blazing to pick me up." Jason remarked and continued. "And if I don't show up I will definitely be raising some red flags."

Elizabeth understood Jason's reasoning but still thought it could be too risky. "Look, just in case, I would feel better if you took this with you." She said then took out a nine-millimeter firearm from her handbag and handed it to him. "You've used this before right?"

"Yea, Sonny has all his men learn how to fire a gun in case of need, even drivers like me. They keep an automatic in every glove compartment." Jason said then grabbed the firearm. "I will be fine so please don't worry."

He kissed Elizabeth on the forehead and left the studio, the gun tucked in the back of his jeans. The young woman watched him leave with an uneasy feel but realized it was probably her newly developed feelings for Jason that were the root cause of so much worry.

* * *

Jason drove straight to the pier where he was asked to go. Despite Elizabeth's concerns he was confident his cover was still intact, but still he proceeded with caution, just in case there was some truth to her apprehension. The young man walked down towards the water and to the entrance of the warehouse to find the crew.

"Jason?" He suddenly heard from a female voice, making him stop in his track.

He turned and saw Carly standing on her high heels behind him. "What are you doing here?"

"There is nothing happening here today. I'm the one who sent you that message, I used Johnny's phone… it was the only way to make sure you would meet me." She explained taking a few steps forward to stand in front of him

Jason rubbed the bridge of his nose, wondering what was all this about. "If you're here to make advances again, I told you before it's probably better you stay away."

Carly shook her head from side to side. "I know who you are." She finally told him causing Jason's eyes to open wider. "You're A.J.'s brother. I don't know how I didn't see it before you look so much alike."

Jason looked away thinking that now was the worst possible time for Carly to discover his true identity. He listened to her go on.

"Morgan… I just couldn't have imagined that you were a Quartermaine with this name but now it all makes sense why you hated me so much for no apparent reason and why Michael saw you in Sonny's study. You're plotting to get revenge for your brother's death." She dropped on him.

Jason bit his lower lip as he wondered what Carly would do with the information of his true identity. "What do you want? Because you obviously want something or you would already have told your husband."

"You know, I actually asked myself the same question because I could pretty much get you to do anything I want for me." She got closer and tapped her fingers over the taller man's shoulder. "I could have you all for myself." She finally whispered in his ears making the man cringe.

"It's not going to happen." Jason reacted to the manipulative woman.

"Well… what would be the alternative? I could tell my husband and we both know what he would do to you." Carly threatened him.

"Of course, after you had my brother killed you would have no problem doing the same with me. How do you sleep at night knowing you stole the man's child from him and that he died because of you?"

"Look Jason, I never wanted A.J. to… disappear." She chose her words carefully. "I loved him, I really did but he couldn't give me the kind of life Sonny was offering me. He was an alcoholic! He was about to be disowned by his own family—"

"And that makes it ok?" Jason yelled appalled by the woman's excuses. "He had cleaned up his act, he wanted to become a father so badly and you took that away from him and then Sonny just took him out of the way; permanently." Jason sighed, trying to contain a bit of his growing anger. "You people destroy everything you touch! All you care about is your selfish self and I wish my brother had never crossed path with you, he would at least still be alive!"

Tears formed in the blonde woman's eyes as she heard the piercing words. "I didn't want things to turn out that way, you have to believe that… but my husband has a particular way of dealing with people he doesn't like. I told him to leave but he wouldn't, he said he wanted to confront Sonny about Michael and… I couldn't do anything to stop him." She said, looking down at her feet.

Jason could see Carly was still hurting from the guilt but he definitely considered her responsible and hoped she would lose everything once Sonny was arrested for his crimes. "So again I ask, what do you want from me?"

Carly let out a deep breath; the memory of losing A.J. getting the best of her. She hadn't been able to save him but maybe she could do something for his brother. "You know what, I had every intention of blackmailing you when I first discovered who you really are… but today is your lucky day, I won't tell Sonny if you leave town right now and give up on whatever plan you have of taking my husband down. Save yourself Jason and leave before it's too late for you."

"And if I don't?" Jason asked.

Carly shook her head leaving Jason's question unanswered then left rushing away from the waterfront, tears trickling down her eyes.

* * *

"Boss? We have a problem." Johnny, who had followed Carly after noticing the message she had sent from his mobile, said to Sonny over the phone.

_"What is it?"_

"I followed Carly to one of our piers, she is talking to the new guy, Jason Morgan."

_"And?"_

"And he's not who we thought he was, Carly figured out he is A.J. Quartermaine's brother and that he is out for payback." Johnny broke to his boss.

_"You know what you need to do."_

"Consider it done." The young man said then hung up the phone.

* * *

After Carly left running, Jason turned around to face the water, his hands covering his face as he thought about how long it would take before she told someone.

"Damn it!" He said out loud. He had to hurry back to the studio and tell Elizabeth his cover had been blown to pieces and that they needed to be extremely careful going forward. The agent would probably know how to deal with the delicate change of circumstances.

"Morgan." He suddenly heard his name being called behind him and turned back around.

To his surprise, Johnny Z stood in front of him.

"You really thought we wouldn't find out what you've been up to?" Johnny said and pointed his gun at the young man.

The enforcer readied to shoot as a trapped Jason, who didn't have time to reach for his own gun, decided in a fraction of a second to plunge in the water to escape the ambush. Johnny ran to the edge of the pier and emptied his gun at the swimming man who quickly disappeared in the dark water of the Port Charles pier.


	11. Part 11 - C for Caretaker

_Chapter 11 already! I was planning for a shorter fic but I need the time to properly tell the story that has become more complex than I had first imagined. I'm glad to see you're enjoying these chapters… things have definitely become tougher for Liason… _

**Part 11**

**C for Caretaker**

"It's done." Johnny told his employer over the phone. "I'm pretty sure Jason Morgan won't be an issue for us again."

_"Pretty sure? I don't pay you for pretty sure!"_

"He jumped in the water to escape but I still managed to shoot him, he's definitely sleeping with the fishes as we speak. There is no way he could have survived this." Johnny confidently expressed.

_"You better make sure you properly took care of him. He's an inconvenience I do not need at the moment."_

"I'll check every hospital in case he turns up, but like I told you there is no way he was able to swim away with a bullet in him. The man is dead." The enforcer assured his boss.

_"Take care of it!"_ The mob boss ordered and hung up the phone.

* * *

Elizabeth couldn't wait for Jason to get back from his assignment. He was probably right when he told her that they didn't have anything to worry about but still, she couldn't help but worry every time she knew he was in enemy territory. She tried to focus on positive thoughts like the fact that she would soon be able to pick up her badge. She had been suspended for too many days already, not that it had stopped her from investigating, au contraire; she had been able to make more progress than ever thanks to Jason's help. And there she was again, thinking about the man.

Elizabeth let out a sigh. They had spent so much time side by side since they met that she could now feel a void when he wasn't next to her.

_What have you done to me?_ The agent wondered, thinking that Jason entering her life had not only revived the case but her heart as well.

The brunette glanced at her watch, again, wondering why time was passing by so slowly then suddenly heard what sounded more like a scratch than a knock. She opened the door cautiously and the sight in front of her was horrifying. Jason was barely standing, completely wet and bleeding abundantly. Elizabeth quickly helped the hurt man inside the studio and sat him on the couch.

"Oh my god, Jason what happened?" She asked, frantically looking for the source of the bleeding. "You got shot?" She quickly realized still in shock.

"Corinthos knows… he knows about me." Jason managed to mumble, still exhausted from the swim.

"How did that happen, oh my god!" Elizabeth grabbed a pair of scissors from a nearby drawer and cut Jason's t-shirt to expose his wounded shoulder. "Jason there is a lot of blood, I should take you to the hospital."

"No… that's the first place Sonny's men will be looking for me to… finish the job." He said, knowing what to expect from his employer.

Elizabeth shook her head. "I'll get you police protection, your cover is already blown anyway."

"Elizabeth, maybe… maybe you can stitch me up yourself…. Let's not take the risk."

The woman removed the shirt she was wearing above a tank top, rolled it around her hand and applied pressure on Jason's wounded shoulder to stop the bleeding then with her other hand she grabbed her cell phone from her pocket and dialed a number.

"Who… are you calling?" Jason struggled to say feeling extreme pain.

"I'm calling a friend, he's a doctor and he'll fix you up better than I can."

Once Patrick picked up, Elizabeth asked him to meet her as soon as possible in her small studio and that it was important he came alone and with medical supplies. Her tone of voice alarmed the surgeon who assured her he would be there as soon as possible without asking questions.

"He will be here soon." Elizabeth told the injured man.

Jason nodded, his eyes fluttering as he was struggling to stay conscious.

"Jason stay with me!" Elizabeth yelled at him, her voice trembling as she kept applying pressure on his shoulder. "Don't you dare bleed out on me, don't you dare leave me! You hear me!" She begged in tears.

Jason reacted with a growl, trying very hard to hold on to her voice.

"I'm so sorry, this is all my fault, I never should have pushed you to get that flash drive." She blamed herself. "And then I let you go back in there knowing there was a chance your cover had been compromised… I'm so sorry Jason."

He managed to deny by shaking his head slightly. "It's not your… fault. I insisted I would be safe…" He struggled to speak, still out of breath.

"Don't talk Jason, just keep your strength until Patrick gets here." She told him. "He's going to be here in no time and you're going to be just fine you hear me!"

Jason nodded, his eyes shut tightly in reaction to the pain. A few minutes later Patrick knocked at the door and the man in scrubs was quickly ushered inside by Elizabeth.

"I came as fast as I could, are you hurt?" Patrick quickly asked as he walked in with a bag full of medical supplies.

"I'm fine. Thanks for coming so fast. I called you to help my friend Jason." She pointed at the pale bleeding man who was lying on her couch. "He got shot."

Patrick, without asking questions, jumped into doctor mode. He opened his medical bag, wore gloves and zoned in on the man's injured arm. Elizabeth sat next to Jason, and held his hand.

"Good job stopping the bleeding." Patrick told Elizabeth after examining the wound. He then spoke to his patient. "You're lucky, it's a flesh wound; the bullet went through and out of your arm."

Jason groaned as the doctor touched his arm and tightened his hold on Elizabeth's hand in reaction to the pain.

"I'm just going to clean the wound, stich it up and give you antibiotics to avoid any infections. If the pain gets too intense I will leave you some pain killers as well." Patrick said then worked on fixing up Jason's arm. He finished by bandaging his shoulder and handing him pills to swallow.

Elizabeth held a bottle of water to his mouth.

"Thank you." The injured man then uttered.

Patrick stood up and took Elizabeth aside and spoke as he removed his blood covered gloves. "Make sure he takes the antibiotics and replace the bandage daily. If you notice any sign of infection call me right away but if it's serious you're going to have to take him to the hospital."

"Thanks Patrick, I'm sorry to put you in this position but I knew you could stay quiet about this." Elizabeth said, slightly relieved.

"Of course… you know I'm here for you, whatever it is. And I don't want to know what happened but are you in serious trouble?" He asked his friend, concerned for her safety.

"Like I told you last time, Jason is helping me on the case and we ran into a little bit of a road block along the way."

"Well he was very lucky the bullet could have done a lot more damage, if it had hit an artery or an organ."

"I know, and I promise you that it will soon all be over so really you don't have to worry." She reassured him.

"All dramatic bullet wounds aside, it was nice to finally meet your beau… I just wish it had been in different circumstances." Patrick tried to lighten the somber mood in the room.

Elizabeth's face expressed something in between a smile and a frown.

"He's going to be fine, he seems like a tough guy." Patrick who saw worry on his friend's face tried to reassure her. He grabbed his bag of supplies. "I have to get going… they are waiting for me at the hospital. Are you going to be ok?"

"I'll be fine. Thanks again Patrick, so much." She said then hugged her close friend.

Elizabeth then shut the door behind the doctor and came to kneel on the floor next to Jason who was lying on the couch, trying to get some rest. She was relieved to see he was already getting a little bit of color back. The young woman ran a hand into his damp hair and caressed his face to which he reacted by reaching out his healthy arm and holding Elizabeth's smaller hand in his.

"You scared the hell out of me for a minute you know… I think my heart stopped when I opened the door and saw you barely standing and bleeding."

"Don't worry about me, I'm… fine…" Jason struggled to say, still feeling the pain in his arm. "I just need to rest a little."

"Yea well you don't look that fine to me… Jason that was a really close call, you could have died."

"I didn't, it's just my arm. I'm going to be fine."

"How did they know? You think Michael said something?" Elizabeth wondered how this could have happened.

"Carly found out, she is the one who asked me to meet at the pier… she recognized me as A.J.'s brother. She said we looked very alike."

"Carly… of course." Elizabeth let out, shaking her head. "She told her husband."

"She actually gave me an out, she said I should leave before Sonny finds out but it was too late, as soon as she left Johnny welcomed me with a gun." Jason winced in pain. "I didn't have time to draw mine so I jumped in the water and swam away but a bullet still hit me." He closed his eyes; the pain was getting the best of him.

"You managed to escape Corinthos' henchman; that's unheard off, they usually get the job done." Elizabeth told him amazed by his survival instinct. "And they probably think you're dead which is good for us. If we act fast enough we can get to the end of this before they find out you're still alive."

* * *

"Mac you have a minute?" Lucky said walking inside his boss' office.

"What is it Spencer?" Mac asked, barely looking up from the file he was reading and regretting enforcing his open door policy.

The agent claimed a seat in front of Mac's desk. "I wanted to talk to you about the whole witness debacle… I've been thinking about it and I have a feeling Elizabeth might be right."

Mac lifted his eyes up. "What do you mean… might be right?"

"I mean someone in the bureau could be talking to Corinthos." Lucky clarified.

"Oh not you too." Mac looked exasperated. "You know Webber is grasping at straws. She is and has been obsessed with this case ever since she started, before she was even given the lead on it."

"I know she is pretty intense sometimes but she has a point… how else would Corinthos have found out about this Smith guy?" Lucky argued. "And after all these years we have yet to find anything that could remotely bother him despite all his criminal activities."

"He is a careful man, so obviously he doesn't leave loose ends untied." Mac told his agent.

"But he did, with Smith… well that's until we found him. That's why I think she may be on to something."

"Oh come on, Webber probably led him straight to the poor guy. Seriously, there is no way the bureau has been compromised." Mac reaffirmed then heard his cell phone. The older man took a glance at the screen and hastily stood up.

"Is everything ok?" Lucky asked, taken aback by his boss' peculiar reaction. Mac was always in control.

"Yes, yes." He said then grabbed his suit jacket. "I have to run out… umm, we can finish this discussion later." He said then walked out leaving Lucky behind wondering what had gotten into him.

Mac rushed out of the field office and looked around making sure no one was in sight. He reread the cryptic message he had just received. It was summoning him for an urgent meeting at the other end of the city. This had happened a few times before so he knew exactly what the meeting was about and already dreaded the exercise, but he had made a pact with the devil and would have to honor his end of the deal.

Mac parked his car on a metered parking lot then walked three blocks to the meeting place. He arrived at the corner of the two deserted streets where he had been told to go, and five minutes later he saw a black Mercedes with tinted windows approach and stop at his level. The passenger door opened and he was gestured to jump in by a tanned hand with an imposing gold ring.

As soon as Mac swung the door closed, the driver started the car and began driving around the block, not to raise any suspicion while his boss and guest spoke. No one in the car had noticed another car turning around the corner and following them.

"Jason Morgan. Is he one of yours?" The tanned man asked, going straight to the point of the meeting.

"He isn't." Mac confirmed. "Why, what happened?"

"He joined my organization a few months ago but as it turns out, he's been working against me."

"I see." Mac said, quickly making the connection between Elizabeth's confidence and the infiltrated asset. "I don't know who he is or what he wants but I may know who he is working with."

"Who?" The powerful man in the dark suit sternly questioned, rubbing his hands.

"Agent Elizabeth Webber… and they may already have found something to use against you." Mac informed him.

"Do you know what she has this time?" The man asked.

"That's unfortunately all I could find out so far." Mac said, as he hadn't been able to get Elizabeth to open up without risking her finding out his true intentions. "I thought getting her away from the case would be enough but I was wrong, it only made her look even harder."

"You better fix this Scorpio!" The man with the ring warned. "Don't forget that I made you, without me you would still be an insignificant agent taking orders from others."

"I know and I'm working on it." Mac hastily assured the other man to whom he owed his current position as Special Agent in Charge. "I'm getting her back on board so I can focus her attention on something else, but to be honest I doubt that will be enough… the woman is extremely persistent."

The tanned man rubbed his chin. "Fine, then I'm going to have to take care of this my way."

"What do you mean?" Mac asked, worried by what the man meant by that. "I can make sure she backs away."

"That won't be necessary, you've done your part. I'll take care of it."

* * *

_Thanks for the reviews!_


	12. Part 12 - C for Coming Around

_Thanks a lot for the amazing feedback! I loved reading your reactions to the last chapter. Now let's see what happens next in this story…_

**Part 12**

**C for Coming Around**

The hurting man shifted on the couch and groaned in pain. Each movement felt like a burning bullet was soaring through his arm all over again. Jason squeezed Elizabeth's hand gently as a reaction; he hadn't let go of her hand even for a second since Patrick had patched him up. Her touch was giving him the strength he needed to get past the throbbing in his shoulder.

"Is the pain killer kicking in?" Elizabeth asked a visibly suffering Jason who she had begged to accept to take something for the pain.

The man nodded then grimaced, trying to keep his full consciousness despite the strong pill that was slowly dissolving in his system.

"Don't fight the medication Jason, just let your body relax a little." She then said, her free hand caressing his face gently.

"I hate taking drugs." The man said, squinting his eyes.

"But you need them." She told him then added. "I know how much this hurts, I've been shot before."

"You have?"

"Uh huh." Elizabeth confirmed, her mind drifting back to the painful memory. "But nothing as heroic as you. I was still new at the bureau and another rookie didn't properly set the security on his service gun and shot me in the arm by mistake." She showed him the pale scar on her arm.

"Was that person Lucky Spencer?" Jason teased then chuckled, only to regret it when the small movement resulted in extreme pain.

The woman shook her head smiling at Jason's comment. "Take it easy, you don't want to pop out these stiches." Elizabeth said then let out a sigh. "Jason, this should never have happened…"

"Don't start." The man stopped her from apologizing for something she wasn't responsible for. "I knew the risks getting into this. You even warned me of what could happen so please promise me that you will stop blaming yourself."

Elizabeth bit her lower lip before speaking. "Fine, I promise to try but then you have to promise me that you will take the medication Patrick left and take care of yourself." She told her stubborn patient.

Jason stared right into the woman's sapphire orbs. "We have a deal."

Elizabeth smirked, satisfied. "Good, because I need you back on your feet so we can finish what we started." She said, not only referring to the case.

"You heard your doctor friend Elizabeth, I'm going to get up and running in no time." He told her.

"Especially with me as your private nurse." The woman added.

Jason managed a grin despite the pain. "And knowing that already makes me feel better."

Elizabeth's lips curled up as she slowly approached her face to his and placed a gentle kiss on the man's lips. She then stood to her feet. "I'll go home and get a few things to get you warmed up and dry."

"Can't you call Spinelli?" The man said, not wanting to let go of her hand and worried there was a possibility she would suffer the same faith as him.

"With the way things are now I would rather Spinelli stays away from us, at least until we plan our next move. I don't want him to become a target by association." Elizabeth explained.

"You're right, of course." Jason agreed it was best if they relied on each other only for the time being. "But once Corinthos finds out we're in this together you're going to become a target too… you probably already are a target."

"Corinthos won't hurt me." Confidently came out of her mouth as she looked away.

"Elizabeth, he just tried to have me killed he won't think twice before doing the same with you!" Jason tensely said then cringed in pain. "The man would do anything to protect himself and his organization, what makes you so sure he won't hurt you?"

Elizabeth crossed her arms before speaking. "Nothing… it's just that I'm a federal agent and he knows it, coming after me right after we've made so much progress in the case would be way too obvious of a motive for him to take that chance."

"I hope you're right." The man pensively said.

"Jason, I will be just fine alright?" Elizabeth assured him. "And I won't take long, I'll just run in, grab some towels, a blanket, some soup..."

"Soup? What for?" Jason wondered.

"You're going to have to eat something… and soup will get you up and running in no time. Believe me!" The temporary nurse told him.

"Alright. But get back fast and be careful."

* * *

Elizabeth hurried to her apartment with one thing in mind, getting back to Jason as quickly as possible. He was worried about her and it was understandable. She wasn't sure if Corinthos was aware of their association and therefore she would need to be extra careful not to take any chances. She parked in her garage spot, got out of the car and proceeded to a quick sweep of her surroundings. Nothing out of the ordinary, she assessed then walked up to her apartment.

She was surprised to see Lucky Spencer seating on a step waiting for her with a file in his hands. The brunette, who was taken aback by his presence, wondered what he wanted from her this time. She approached guardedly.

"Elizabeth, finally!" Lucky exclaimed and jumped to his feet as soon as he noticed her. "I've been waiting here for more than half an hour, do you ever answer your phone?"

"What are you doing here? What do you want?" She straightaway shot at him, wondering why her number one suspect wanted to speak with her.

Lucky didn't answer and instead kept his eyes fixated on her tank top. "Is that blood? Are you ok Elizabeth?" The agent asked, concerned for his colleague.

"I'm fine, it's nothing." She said then crossed her arms above her chest to cover the stain.

"Are you sure? You look like you've been hurt, do you need me to take you to the hospital?" Lucky offered.

"I said I'm fine Lucky, I'm not hurt." She raised her voice. "Please stop asking questions and tell me what the hell you're doing here, at my house… again!"

"Ok…ok… sure. Well I thought about what you said to me after our witness got killed and I think you're right. I think one of us is definitely leaking information to Corinthos." He let out a sigh. "And I think that person is Mac."

"Wha… what?" The brunette stuttered, as she had not expected to hear this, and especially not from Lucky. "And Mac suspects you! He thinks you are the dirty agent and frankly I'm a little bit more inclined to believe that with the way you've been acting."

"Me?" Lucky couldn't believe the man was trying to pin this on him. "Elizabeth you know me, you know I would never betray the bureau that way; this is insane! He told you he thought I was guilty?"

"Yes he did." Elizabeth said. "And I've been suspecting you too. Lucky you've been running around doing nothing to catch Corinthos and that right after asking the lead on the case. You didn't think that would look suspicious?"

"This is crazy! First of all I just asked to fill in on the case while you were gone, I never asked for the lead, Mac gave it to me. And well give me a minute to catch up, I just took over." Lucky defended himself, without convincing the brunette who pouted her mouth to the side as she listened. "Look, Elizabeth, look at me in the eyes. I never talked to Corinthos, never even met the guy in person I am not the one leaking him information. You have to believe me."

She stayed silent as she gauged how sincere the man's statement was. And for some reason, she thought he sounded genuine but she needed more to rule him out than his feeble word.

Lucky continued his defense plea. "I went to Mac today to tell him that I thought you were right and he told me that there was no way the bureau had been compromised and that you were grasping at straws." Lucky revealed shaking his head completely baffled. "He definitely knows how to distract the attention away from himself."

"And maybe you're trying to do the same thing!" She told him, still doubting Lucky's true motives. "I don't know what to believe right now."

"Elizabeth, I swear I am telling the truth." Lucky placed his hand on his chest. "Listen, I followed Mac earlier and he met with someone."

"Wait you followed him? Why?" Elizabeth wondered what had prompted the sudden distrust in their commanding agent.

"I was talking to him in his office and he got this message on his phone and his face just turned blank. I first thought something was wrong so I wanted to check on him but he was acting so weird when he left the building that I decided to follow him."

"So who did he meet with?" Elizabeth asked, all of a sudden very interested by what Lucky had to say.

"I'm not sure, a black sedan showed up and picked him up. They drove around then they dropped him off a few blocks away." Agent Spencer explained. "I unfortunately couldn't get close enough to see who was in the car but I'm pretty sure it was Corinthos."

"You could be making this up for all I know." Elizabeth said still unsure she could trust anything coming out of the man's mouth.

"I'm not. I took pictures." He said then took his phone out and showed her the photos of their boss entering the black vehicle. "I still have to run the plates but I'm pretty sure of what they will say."

Elizabeth's eyebrow instinctively shot up. Could Mac really be the mysterious man who had visited Sonny Corinthos at his home? She asked herself, and then suddenly everything made more sense. She understood why he had been so quick to send her on Lucky's trail, why he had been so adamant on keeping her away from the case and why he was so curious about the new evidence she had collected on Corinthos. But Mac was a respectable man, a devoted father to his two little girls, a great boss; she couldn't believe it.

Lucky watched the woman whose face was reading both shock and confusion. "I knew you wouldn't believe me so I dug up some proof." He opened the file he had brought with him. "I looked back at Mac's track record and surprisingly enough all his high profile arrests where Corinthos rivals. Lorenzo Alcazar, Andrei Karpov to name a few… even Manny Ruiz last year, he's the one who tipped me."

"These arrests where given to him by Corinthos in exchange for some information and assurance he would be left alone by the bureau. Corinthos got rid of his enemies while Mac took credit and built his career." Elizabeth finished Lucky's sentence, in awe of the stratagem the two men had managed to pull off during all these years. "Wow. And we never saw a thing, we just thought he was that good at his job."

"And that's not all, guess where Mac was working before being transferred to Port Charles?"

"Bensonhurst?" Elizabeth easily guessed.

"They apparently go way back." Lucky nodded then asked. "So you believe me?"

"Well, the story is pretty convincing. I'm just shocked you came up with this." Elizabeth told her usually inept colleague.

"I'm going to take this as a compliment." Lucky decided then asked. "How do you think we should deal with this? We can't just arrest him, it's an internal investigation now."

"You're right, you'll need to contact Special Prosecutor Diane Miller in DC. She will be able to handle it." Elizabeth advised him.

"You want _me_ to take care of that?" Lucky was incredulous.

"Well you found out about Mac, you should be the one to take it up to her, plus there is something else I have to worry about right now. So, can I trust you to take care of it?"

The young man nodded. "Of course… yea… Elizabeth, are you sure you're ok? I know we've not been on the best of terms lately but I can help you, you know that."

"Making sure Mac is arrested as soon as possible is the best way you can help me right now." Elizabeth told the other agent. "And Lucky, I owe you an apology I…"

"There is no need for it, Mac made sure to make me look guilty. But if you really want to make it up to me, just accept to go for that drink with me and—"

"Not a chance in a million years." She cut him off; leaving Lucky to shake his head behind thinking he just had to try.

* * *

After talking to Lucky, Elizabeth rushed inside her apartment and picked up a couple towels and a blanket. She also changed her bloodstained shirt and grabbed a packaged squash soup to feed Jason once back at the studio. She was still stunned by the discovery that Mac had been working with Corinthos during all this time; the C case never stood a chance with him at the head of the Port Charles unit, she thought.

The agent let out a sight then hurried back to her car. She had spent so much time talking to Lucky that Jason would probably be worried sick that she still wasn't back. The brunette quickly dumped everything she was holding in her trunk and walked towards the front of the vehicle to climb in the car.

Elizabeth placed a hand on the door handle then suddenly backed away and turned to run as she noticed a shape inside the car, but quickly a man who was dressed in all black jumped out of her passenger seat and ran after her. She had only made it a few feet away when the much faster and stronger man grabbed her from behind and lifted her petite frame off the ground. But the well-trained agent didn't capitulate and sent her destructive elbow crashing deep between the man's ribs.

He let go of her as he doubled in pain with a growl then before he could straighten back up, the man felt a wave of pain take over his jaw. She had sent a vicious punch in his face. Elizabeth then started running, as fast as she could, to flea a situation where she was the weaker party, but as she almost reached the garage exit she found herself face to face with another man who was pointing his gun straight at her.

"Are we gonna have to do this the hard way or the easy way?" The man she recognized as Cody Paul, one of Sonny's enforcers asked her.

Elizabeth looked to the side, desperate for a way out of the situation.

"No more running, you're coming with us." He said then approached her and grabbed her by the arm.

"Don't touch me!" She threw at him, yanking his hand away from her arm.

The enforcer poked his gun to her side. "Let's go." He said, forcing the brunette to turn around and start walking.

"I know Sonny sent you, and you can tell him to go to hell where he belongs!" She barked, unable to contain her rage.

"Your mother never thought you that this is no way for a lady to speak?" The man patronized her.

"Don't you talk about my mother!" Elizabeth retorted to the man who was holding her at gunpoint and forcing her to keep walking.

"Enough talking… come on, get in the car." Cody said and shoved her in the back of an SUV that was parked at the other end of the parking garage. The second man, who had been beat up senseless by Elizabeth slowly limped his way towards the SUV and joined her in the back seat, rubbing his jaw.

"Are you ok there Tom?" Cody who started the car asked the other guard.

"Yea… but damn, she has a mean punch." He said then glared at the petite woman next to him who glared right back at him.

"Where are you taking me?" She demanded to know.

"Like I said before… enough talking. You will find out soon enough." Cody said, pulling out of her building's parking lot. "Just sit back and enjoy the ride."


	13. Part 13 - C for Corinthos

_For those of you who are craving a fun and fluffy story I just posted a one shot called "How Lizzie Got Her Groove Back" so check it out if you haven't already! I also have to let you know that the next update of this story might take a little longer than usual as I will not have as much time to write anymore but I will do my best not to make you wait too long. Enjoy the chapter; this one marks another important turning point in the story!_

**Part 13**

**C for Corinthos**

Lucky Spencer had been underestimated his entire life. His father had been a hero to his eyes ever since he was a little boy, and being a hero's son had its challenges. Lucky had grown up under the constant pressure of living up to the Spencer name and this is what had led him to a career as an FBI agent; even though his father despised his career choice and thought working as a fed was a waste of the Spencer talent. But Lucky considered himself a very good agent, despite what everyone thought, and today had confirmed just that; without his sense of flair they would probably never have found out about Mac and Sonny Corinthos' relationship.

Lucky had rushed back to the office after his conversation with Elizabeth to look up Diane Miller's contact information in the FBI database. Once he found the special prosecutor's phone number he decided to get back to his car to make the call. He didn't want to risk Mac overhearing the conversation that would be the beginning of the end of the man's long career at the bureau.

_"Office of Diane Miller?"_ A secretary answered the phone.

"Hi, I would like to talk to Ms. Miller, and it's pretty urgent."

_"Who's speaking? And what's the nature of your call?" _The cheery woman asked_. "I have to ask, Ms. Miller will want to know before she talks to you." _She then explained.

"I'm Agent Lucky Spencer from the Port Charles FBI office, it's regarding an internal investigation." Lucky said, his eyes scanning the vast parking lot in front of the office as he spoke, making sure Mac wasn't in sight.

_"Please hold." _After a few seconds wait someone spoke again. _"This is Diane Miller, you said you had an urgent matter to bring to my attention? I'm listening."_ The woman spoke fast and decisively.

"Yes, hi. My name is Lucky Spencer and I'm an agent from Port Charles. We are having a situation down here that requires your expertise."

_"You will have to be a little bit more specific than this Agent Spencer from Port Charles. You said it was about an internal investigation so I interrupted my yoga session to take this call. Please make it worth my time."_ She griped, already feeling impatient. She received many solicitations that were unworthy of her time and was more than ready to hang up the phone and get back to her office workout session if this one was.

"Sure, listen. I called you because I have reasons to think… no actually I am pretty sure that our Special Agent in Charge Mac Scorpio has dealings with the main subject of one of our investigations. I have evidence that he has been meeting with Sonny Corinthos to feed him information on the ongoing case against him." Lucky explained, leaving the woman on the line dumbfounded… a rare occurrence.

_"Sonny Corinthos as in one of the most powerful crime lords on the eastern seaboard?" _Excitement was building in the career-focused prosecutor's tone of voice._ "And you have proof of all this you say?"_

"Yes and Mac Scorpio is my direct supervisor so you can imagine this is a little bit of a tricky situation for me but you-"

_"I'll be in Port Charles first thing tomorrow morning."_ The woman gleefully said then hung up the phone.

Lucky had barely had time to take the phone down from his ear that he heard a knock at his window. The agent looked up and saw Mac waving at him to roll down his window.

"Hey Lucky, where are you off to?" The other man asked him wondering if his trip had anything to do with the C Case or his stubborn inkling that someone at the bureau was working for Corinthos.

"Umm… I have a dentist appointment." Was the first thing that came to the agent's mind.

"Look, I just wanted to say sorry I had to cut our conversation short this morning, if you have anything else you'll like to talk about you can come by my office after your appointment, my door is always opened." Mac invitingly said, wanting to keep a close eye on the agent's progress.

"Ok, thanks Mac… but you're right. Elizabeth is probably seeing things that are not there."

Mac nodded then turned around and walked inside the field office, satisfied Lucky seemed to have dropped his suspicions. The last thing the man needed was a second person digging around about this and potentially discovering his involvement in sabotaging the case against Corinthos.

* * *

Jason was lying half awake on the couch; he had finally let his body surrender to the drug after Elizabeth left for her apartment, and the feeling wasn't all bad he realized. The pain had significantly toned down and he felt thoroughly relaxed. But a soft knock at the door took him out of his rest and put his body back on alert; Elizabeth wouldn't be knocking, she had a key, he thought.

"Elizabeth? It's me, Patrick!" Jason then heard coming from the other side of the door. The injured man recognized the voice of the doctor who had mended his shoulder so lifted his body from the couch, careful not to move his arm too much in the process and slowly made his way to the door and let the doctor in the room.

"Where is Elizabeth?" Patrick asked, surprised not to see the agent inside the studio, as Jason closed and locked the door behind him and then painfully walked back and dropped on the couch.

"She went to her place to get a few things. She should be back any minute now." Jason let him know, holding his injured arm.

"Alright, I came back to check on you and see if you guys needed anything." Patrick said. "How's the shoulder?"

"Better." Jason simply expressed, I'm now feeling much less pain than before thanks to the painkiller. "It still hurts but it's manageable."

"Good." Patrick said then approached him. "Let me take a look and see how the stiches are holding up. I did it so fast earlier, I had a surgery scheduled so I had to rush back to the hospital."

Jason nodded and let the doctor check on him. After he confirmed everything was in order, Patrick re-bandaged his shoulder. "There, all looks good."

"Thank you again for your help." Jason told the other man. "You don't even know me and you've agreed to help me and keep quiet about me being here."

"I'm a doctor, I heal people for a living so that's no big deal. Plus Elizabeth cares about you and she asked me to take care of you and I would do anything for that girl." Patrick said, putting his hands in his pockets.

"You two are pretty close?" Jason asked, wondering about their friendship seeing how Patrick had dropped everything to come to her help.

"Yea, we've been friends for many years, and she has been a great friend to me all this time, she's someone you can always count on." Patrick confided as he reflected on the many times she had been there for him when he was too drunk to remember his own name or more crucially when he had been slapped with a malpractice lawsuit a couple years back or even how she had supported him through his family issues with his brother and father. She had always been there for him when he needed her.

"I haven't known her for very long but I can already see that." Jason could already feel like she would do anything for him, she already had done so much.

"But she has one big flaw you know, she is extremely stubborn and she just never backs down and I'm afraid that will get her in serious trouble one day." Patrick worried. "So whatever it is that you two are working on together, please just convince her to let it go before she gets in over her head and gets hurt."

"Look, Patrick I will do everything I can to make sure she stays safe but you know Elizabeth, better than I do, there seems to be no stopping her when she is determined… and right now I doubt she will let anything go until Sonny Corinthos is finally behind bars."

"I know, but I'm just scared she's going to get herself killed in the process… These people she is going up against are dangerous people. You already got shot; who knows what is going to happen to her." The surgeon let out a deep sigh. "That's all I could think of all this time, what if she is next?"

Jason looked down at his feet; he was unable to hide the fact that he shared the same concerns. "She assured me she would play it safe. She is going to be fine." He then said, hoping very strongly that he was right.

Patrick looked at him quietly for a few seconds then glanced at his watch before saying. "I have to get back to my shift, I just wanted to check on you two and see if you were ok. Can you tell her I came by?"

"Sure I will, as soon as she comes back."

"And Jason, I can see that you care about her so please… please take care of her, even if she doesn't want you to, just insist and keep her safe, ok?" The doctor implored the other man.

Jason nodded. "I will do everything I can to make sure nothing happens to her." He promised her friend and himself.

* * *

Her abductors warned Elizabeth to do as she was told, to remain quiet and not try anything stupid before they arrived at destination. True to form, she didn't remain quiet and she tried many times to find a way to alert pedestrians and other cars about her captive situation, but all this was in vain as the windows were very darkly tinted and the car dashed through the city barely stopping along the way. The guard next to her kept his eyes locked on the brunette the entire drive, impeding her from trying to escape or from using her cellphone to call for help. Until they finally arrived and pulled into the gated Corinthos estate, leaving Elizabeth to roll her eyes at the anticipation of what was to come.

The car stopped and she was quickly pulled out by one of the house guards who pointed his gun at her. Tom, who was seating next to her in the car got out and told his colleague. "Careful, she's a wild one."

Elizabeth didn't appreciate the comment but before she was able to make the guard know what she thought of him, Cody approached, ready to search her.

"Get your hands off me!" She threw at the man but this one ignored her and patted her entire body to make sure she wasn't hiding any weapons or a wire. He grabbed the phone that she kept in her pocket and put it in his.

"Now she's good to go." He said then watched the other man usher the brunette inside the house and to Sonny's study. She looked around the room she had only seen on the surveillance footage then stopped and stared at the family portrait of Sonny, Michael and Carly, behind which Jason had stolen the flash drive.

"Mr. Corinthos will be right here, he wants to speak with you." The guard informed her.

"All this for a chat? He could have bought me a cup of coffee…" She told the man who didn't seem to have gotten the joke, or simply didn't care what she was saying. She wasn't sure.

The guard who was wearing a dark suit crossed his arms above his chest, never leaving his sight from the agent who sat on one of the chairs in front of the imposing desk.

"Just as beautiful as your mother!" Sonny Corinthos suddenly entered the room, a large beam and deep dimples across his face. "It's so good to see you again."

Elizabeth automatically sprung to her feet, her face harboring a pronounced frown. "The feeling isn't mutual Sonny! What am I doing here after being dragged at gunpoint? By two men! Really?"

"Sorry about that, but I had to make sure you would come." The older man said, rubbing his jaw. "You haven't been very receptive the last times I've tried reaching out."

She shook her head, of course she hadn't been, she had no interest in talking to him. "Well here I am so… say what you need to say, so that we can get it over with."

"Alright." The mob boss said then slowly walked to sit behind his desk, the woman's gaze sealed on him the entire time. He then gestured his guard to leave the room. "Give us a minute."

The guard nodded then left the room and closed the door behind him.

"Well, now that we're alone, I was hoping you would shed more light about why is it that you just won't give up this little… obsession you have of taking me down?" The man asked then joined his fists together above the desk.

"You know exactly why I will never give up." She said, resolve in her tone.

"I have to give it to you though… for managing to put your hands on my flash drive." He rubbed his chin. He had realized the valuable piece was missing after his conversation with Mac. "Smart move recruiting one of mine to do your dirty work, but too bad he had to pay the price for it… But this one was my mistake, I should be more careful with who I hire."

She wondered how he had found out that she was working with Jason and realized Mac had probably put two and two together. Elizabeth stayed quiet but all she could think of was how much she hated the man who was seating in front of her with his arrogant air.

Sonny continued. "Please sit down… it seems like we have a lot to talk about."

"No we don't. I have nothing to say to you so if you're not going to kill me then let me go." Elizabeth defied him, her arms defensively crossed above her chest.

"Don't be silly Elizabeth, if I wanted you dead you would have been long ago." He boldly let her know.

Elizabeth gasped, ticked by the man's statement. "Of course… you would have put a bomb in my car or placed a hit on my head? Because that's what you do right, whenever someone becomes an inconvenience… you make them disappear!"

"You are making me sound like a horrible person." Sonny let out, with a nascent grin at the corner of his mouth.

"Look, Sonny, this is completely pointless we both know who you are, you order a kill like you order room service. So don't sit here and pretend you're mother Teresa." Elizabeth dished out. "So again if you're not going to have me killed then let me go."

"Come on Elizabeth, you know I would never do that to you, and it doesn't matter what you do to mess with me and my business or how much you hate me… you are still my daughter."


	14. Part 14 - C for Confession

_I know I left you with quite a shocker last chapter, that for some might not make sense right now but this new update will shed more light into Sonny and Elizabeth's back story, why she is so determined to make him pay and how come she is a Webber and has been able to work this case without anyone being aware of the connection… whew! Your feedback and comments are always welcome and as you know are shaping this story given I am writing as I go so I'm looking forward to reading your reactions!_

**Part 14**

**C for Confession**

"I am not your daughter, my father died. You killed him!" Elizabeth retorted; her voice was trembling, heavy with emotions.

"I may not have raised you but I am your father!" Sonny firmly corrected her.

"It doesn't matter that we share the same DNA! My father was the one who tucked me into bed every night and sat with me when I was sick." The woman declared and then looked away.

"Funny how after all these years, you still haven't accepted the reality that you are my blood. You know when I found out the truth you were already almost sixteen and I couldn't believe that I had fathered such an incredible young woman." The tanned man said with a proud beam. "You were already so independent and smart, you've always been too smart for your own good."

Elizabeth shook her head. "And I am who I am today thanks to my father, the one who raised me and thought me everything I know."

Sonny rolled his eyes. He hated hearing about Jeff Webber; Elizabeth idolized the other man while she despised him. The crime lord couldn't stand the fact that Doctor Webber had been given the privilege of raising his daughter during all these years while he didn't even know he had fathered a child until she was grown. Elizabeth's mother, who Sonny had been in a relationship with when both were very young, had ended things with him as he began becoming too engrossed with power. She had left him without telling him she was carrying his child. Soon after, she fell in love with her doctor who accepted to raise her daughter as his.

After her father's death, Elizabeth was told the truth about her paternity by her mother who was on the brink of becoming fully catatonic, but the teenager had made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with her biological father. She refused all contact with him and once her mother became completely unresponsive, Elizabeth went on to live with her grandmother, keeping her connection to Sonny a secret she would rather die with than make public. Sonny had many times been tempted to come forward with the truth to force her into accepting him as her real father, but he feared losing any hope at a potential relationship with the strong-willed young woman as she had warned him she would disappear if he ever did. Sonny Corinthos only had one weakness and it was his daughter.

"This man wasn't your father, Elizabeth!" Sonny raised his voice.

"He was everything a father needed to be and you know what the best part was? That he was nothing like you!" She spit out knowing full well how much her words were upsetting Sonny. She continued. "'Til today I do not understand why she told you the truth. Why she had to bring you in my life when we were doing perfectly fine without you!"

"Lily told me the truth because she loved me and wanted us to get back together… but in the end she decided she couldn't leave the doctor." Sonny told her then looked away, getting aggravated just at the memory.

"This is a lie! My parents were happily married… until you destroyed everything!"

"You were a child, of course that's how you perceived things but your mother and I… we reconnected and started seeing each other again…"

"I don't believe that! Not for one second!" She interjected, shaking her head.

"We were seeing each other again for weeks…"

"This is not true!"

"Elizabeth, listen to me!" He said desperate to get through to his estranged daughter. "She told me you were mine because I asked her about you given I always had a doubt. The timing was just so close, she left me and then she had you. That day Lily broke down and confessed. She told me that she was sorry for keeping the secret all this time."

Elizabeth shook her head, unwilling to believe this version of the facts. Her mother would never have brought Sonny back into their lives intentionally, not after all the efforts she had made to keep her daughter away from him and his life of violence.

"You may not want to believe me but this is the truth." Sonny said then got up from the desk and walked towards his partial family portrait. He took the large frame down and opened the safe from which he grabbed an old envelope. The man closed the safe and handed the document to Elizabeth who didn't bother uncross her arms.

"What is this?" She asked, wondering what kind of stunt the man had under his sleeve.

"Take it, read it and then you'll see." He insisted. "It's a letter your mother wrote me a few days before she… before we lost her."

Elizabeth took a deep breath and decided to take the letter that she pulled out of its torn envelope then read the beginning lines her mother had written by hand so many years ago.

_Sonny, my love,_

_It is with a lot of sadness that I write you this letter but I want you to know that I have decided it would be best for everyone if we never saw each other again. My heart breaks writing these words but after thinking about it more deeply I realized I can't leave Jeff, not after everything he has done for me and our daughter…_

Elizabeth couldn't continue reading, the words were too painful for her; learning that her mother had rekindled her relationship with Sonny and had considered going back to him came as a punch in the stomach that she wasn't prepared for.

"So you believe me now?" He asked, but Elizabeth remained quiet, she could feel her eyes and cheeks begin to burn but didn't want to give the man in front of her the satisfaction of seeing her tears. Sonny continued. "I told you, she wanted us to be a family like we were supposed to be from the start… but she ended up being the coward she always was and told me my life was too dangerous and that it was best if no one knew you were mine. But that was just an excuse, she was too scared to take a chance on real love so she decided to stay with him."

"So that's why you killed my dad and destroyed her? All for what? Revenge? To prove a point? My father didn't deserve this; he was a good man! He raised me, he supported my mother and you couldn't accept that she chose him and that she thought he was a better man and a better father than you could ever be… so one damn morning you blew up his car!" An emotional Elizabeth wiped her free falling tears.

"HE had the family I was supposed to have! HE was the one you were calling dad when it was supposed to be ME!" The ruthless man screamed in a chilling tone. "I told your mother, I told her that I would never give up on my child then I gave her a choice to come back with you or else… but she chose to stay with him anyway. She knew the consequences."

"You son of a bitch!" She yelled in cries while her right hand flew up and ended up violently crashing against the man's cheek. "You did this to her, she's just the shell of herself now! Sitting on a chair staring at a wall!"

Suddenly two guards barged into the room, after hearing the loud blow, ready to protect their boss from the enraged woman. Sonny, who was still rubbing his hurting cheek, signaled them that everything was fine so they nodded and left the room.

The mob boss recovered from the fierce slap by shaking his head then said. "I never wanted to hurt your mother, I loved Lily very much. Even despite the fact that she kept me from you all this time, I was ready to forgive her and start over but she decided once again that she couldn't handle my life. And then she wanted me to give up on you and watch another man continue be your father… that was wrong!"

"She did what was best for me! She was thinking about my safety always, she was thinking about me being able to have a normal life and a normal father!" Elizabeth defended her mother's choices while trying very hard to keep her emotions in check.

"You can say whatever you want but she lied to me and to you for years. She kept me from you for years!" Sonny repeated, unable to forgive or forget what the woman he once loved had done to him. "And it is her fault that we are where we are today."

"Oh no, don't blame her for that." Elizabeth said. "It is all on you! You are the one who messed up everything by killing my father! You are a criminal who keeps killing innocent people whenever they come in your way but that ends soon. Once I stop you, because I will!"

Sonny stared down at the petite but fierce woman in front of him. "Listen Elizabeth, you're the last person I want to fight with. I understand why you are upset and I was hoping that with time things would… change and that we could finally have some kind of a relationship. You will always be my first-born child, and that's not something you will ever be able to change."

"I will never consider you family." The agent decisively declared. "Say whatever you want but I will continue to investigate you until I finally put you behind bars where you deserve to be! You can corrupt the entire FBI you can keep trying to control my life but you will pay for what you did!"

The powerful man issued a warning. "You realize I can put a stop to all this very easily, all I have to do is reveal that you are my daughter and not only will you be fired from this job you like so much, but be sure that you will be prosecuted for compromising the case in my favor. What do you think people will assume once they know you're a Corinthos?"

Elizabeth frowned as she heard the name. She was and would always be a Webber. "There is no sign of you being my father anywhere. My mom never took a paternity test, she didn't need one; she was already pregnant when she met my father. So it would be your word against mine."

"And you think the simple doubt wouldn't be enough to end your career? The FBI could very well request a paternity test, to which I would gladly oblige, and you know what the results would show."

"Then what are you waiting for huh? Do it! Tell everyone!" She defied him. "But you know that you will never see me again after that, ever!"

Sonny rubbed his nose before speaking. "I will not need to go to such lengths as long as you back off." The man said not wanting to do anything to hurt his child. She hated him but he still cared for her, deeply. "I'm not trying to destroy your life, you don't want to have a relationship with me, fine. But do us all a favor and give up coming after me because you'll never win. I will always be one step ahead of you."

* * *

Jason couldn't believe his eyes as he saw Elizabeth get dragged into Corinthos' home on the surveillance cameras. She had been gone for so long that he grew worried and feared the worse. So the young man had turned on the surveillance screens to check if anything on the video feed could indicate something about Corinthos sending men after her, and to his disbelief there she was, being ushered into the study and talking to the mob boss himself. There was no sound on the footage but Jason could see that they were in the middle of a heated exchange of words. He would have driven up there himself to rescue her but he was injured, unarmed and had no car or wallet with him as he had lost everything while swimming for his life.

He needed a phone. Jason anxiously looked around the room to see if by any chance Elizabeth had a landline in her studio but there wasn't any. So he frantically looked under the pile of electronic material Spinelli had installed, just in case one of the peculiar looking gadgets could also make calls but nothing. His eyes then fell on a backpack Spinelli had brought the day he had infiltrated Corinthos' home and hurried to grab it. He plunged his healthy arm deep into the backpack and pulled out a cluster of cables then a flashlight, until his hand touched what seemed to be a cellphone. He took the device out and discarded the backpack to the side. Thank god for Spinelli Jason thought then was reinforced in his thought after he turned it on and noticed the computer genius had even saved his and Elizabeth's number in the device.

_Great_ Jason thought as he called Spinelli for back up. _"Greetings caller! You have reached the Jackal's automatic response system and if you wish to speak to me you are out of luck as I am presently in the middle of other activities of the upmost importance. If you wish to leave a message for the Jackal…"_

"Shit!" Jason hung up, out of option to do anything to get Elizabeth out of her situation.

He watched the screen again where Elizabeth and Corinthos appeared to be having an even more intense conversation, but what troubled the young man was that she didn't seem intimated at all. They were having an argument where both seemed on equal grounds and then all of a sudden he saw her furiously slap him and the powerful man didn't do anything to retaliate. Suddenly Jason wasn't so afraid for the agent anymore as what he was seeing explained why she was so confidant Corinthos wouldn't hurt her; they knew each other.

* * *

_"_So, I'm going to ask you once; return to me what's mine. Get me back my flash drive, intact, and then I'll leave you in peace." Sonny demanded, looking at his daughter straight in the eyes.

Elizabeth chuckled. "Oh… and why would I possibly do that?"

"You have until tonight." He then told her.

"In your dreams, I'm never returning it, and this flash drive will be the end of you!"

"Well… your friend would really appreciate it if you did or he will end up at the bottom of the harbor just like your other accomplice." Sonny said as he tapped his fingers on the imposing desk.

"What have you done?" Elizabeth asked worried, she knew what the man in front of her was capable of.

"It's very simple, the drive was expertly encrypted and only one person you know could have revealed to you what was on it… what's his name again?" Sonny placed his hand under his chin. "Damien Spinelli?"

Elizabeth let out a defeated sigh.

"Oh and don't even think about getting your friends at the FBI involved or you can be sure never to see him again. Not even a body." The ruthless man told her with a victorious grin. "You're ferocious just like your father Elizabeth, but you are way too caring. You definitely took that trait from your mother."

* * *

The Jackal had fought his fair share of evildoers across the years, monsters of all shapes and forms that he could neutralize without even blinking… in the virtual world of videogames. Unfortunately, when he had been confronted by a real life threat, his hard earned gaming skills had been of no help. A couple of armed goons had surprised him in front of his apartment and quickly shoved him in the trunk of a car. The young man had never been this scared in his entire life.


End file.
